Meet The Marauders
by SweetDeamon
Summary: "Over the years Tonks had often suspected that having a child would ruin her marriage one way or another, but in all honesty she had never expected something quite as ridiculous as this..." Not your usual Marauder fic! 3rd Meet the... story. AU RLNT TL/OC
1. Some Good Advice

_Note: Hi there, this is **Meet the Marauders,** the third story in the **"Meet the..." series**, the first being **Meet the Lupins** and the second being **Meet the Muggles**! That's right, as promised Carrie and Teddy are back again! _

_Thank you very much to everybody who voted in the poll to name this 'fic! I hope that those of you who are Marauder fans will enjoy this story, though I have not attempted to write about MWPP in any real capacity at all before now! So...wish me luck! Oh, and this won't be your average Marauder era 'fic, either. After all, that wouldn't be terribly original, would it?_

_**This story can stand alone**, all you need to know is that this 'ficverse is AU in that Remus and Tonks survived the final battle, and Caroline "Carrie" Winters is a muggle girl who befriended Teddy and found out about the Wizarding World._

_Quite naturally, this story is dedicated to the wonderful reviewers of Meet the Muggles, what a lovely bunch you all are! XD_

_Oh, and please note, those of you living outside of the UK, the "college" referred to in this chapter is NOT University! It is where Bowie, Timothy and Thomas are studying for their A levels/whatever other qualification they chose, which usually take two years to complete, by which time the average student is 18 years old._

_And so here goes! We rejoin Teddy and Carrie three years after the events of Meet the Muggles, and it's Carrie's favorite time of the year again..._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor am I making any profit from this piece of writing. I do, however, own Caroline "Carrie" Winters and Cleopatra "Cleo" Clancy._

**1: Some Good Advice**

It was a gloriously sunny afternoon in the small town of Eddington, and within the old redbrick confines of Oakhurst Manor Secondary School, Headmistress Mrs. Basilton was about to unleash chaos upon the unsuspecting world beyond the school's gates.

The students of form 10CM had been waiting impatiently for the Big Moment for weeks, and as the last few minutes ticked away on the clock above their classroom door, the anticipation had left every single student perched on the edge of their seats.

As she sat, poised ready for escape, one hand already grasping hold of her school bag, Cleopatra Clancy's mouth curved into a broad grin as in the corner of the room, the school's crackly intercom came to life.

"Good Afternoon, everybody." Mrs. Basilton's voice greeted, causing an instant murmur of excitement to ripple throughout the room, despite the teacher's shhh. "I have just a few notices before you all leave today for the holidays. Firstly, I would like to say congratulations to the Year Eight football team for their brilliant performance last week again Eddington High, well done boys! You did Oakhurst proud! Secondly..."

A few of the students in the back row let out audible groans of irritation and Cleopatra slumped back in her chair and loudly declared:

"Oh just get on with it, you silly old bat!"

The rest of the class gave a collective snigger as their form tutor's gaze left the papers that were upon his desk so that he could fix the dark haired protester with an unimpressed look. Before he could say a word, however, a voice from behind Cleopatra loudly commented:

"Well you'd know all about bats, wouldn't you Clancy?"

Cleopatra immediately twisted in her chair to face the tall, lanky boy who was lounging in his chair in the row behind her.

"Piss off, Thompson!" she snapped, and the teacher interjected:

"That's quite enough, thank you Cleo!"

Cleo's expression was instantly outraged, but rather than argue with him she turned to the girl beside her, folding her arms moodily across her chest as she asked:

"Aren't you going to stick up for me or something?"

When the girl merely continued to study the small strip of chewing gum that she had in her hands, fingers toying thoughtfully with the wrapper as a strand of long, chestnut hair slipped down into her eyes, Cleo reached to tap her sharply upon the arm.

"Oi!" she cried, raised voice causing the teacher to frown in her direction once again. "Earth to Carrie!"

At the sound of her name, Caroline Winters reluctantly dragged her gaze away from the shiny foil wrapped object to glance sideways at her friend questioningly.

"Hmm?" she said, reaching to brush the wayward piece of hair from her eyes, only for the teacher to call:

"Is that chewing gum, Caroline?"

"Um..." Carrie glanced down at the foil again for a brief moment before hurriedly reaching to shove it into the pocket of her maroon school blazer, deciding: "No Sir, it isn't."

"...and so," Mrs. Basilton's voice went on, "all there remains for me to say is this: have a wonderful summer holiday, and don't forget: be sensible!"

And with that, the school bell signaled the official end of the school year, only to be drowned out by the sudden stampede of students jumping to their feet and rushing for the classroom door.

As they made their way out of the classroom and towards the nearest exit, Cleo barging a path through the swarm of Year Eight students who were pouring out of the classroom next door, the scruffy teenager glanced over her shoulder at Carrie in order to ask:

"So, any awesome plans for the summer, Carrie? Other than the obvious."

As she hurried after her friend, one hand shoved into the pocket of her blazer, toying absentmindedly with the strip of gum, Carrie pursed her lips against an indigent response and instead decided:

"No, just the obvious."

As they headed out the doors and set off across the playground towards the school gates, Carrie was pretty sure that Cleo rolled her eyes. She knew full well that what she got up to during the holidays rather bemused her friend, but then again, since Cleo was a self proclaimed witch who spent the majority of her holidays looking at bizarre websites and mixing together supposed potions in her bathroom sink (much to Mrs. Clancy's repeated fury), Carrie found her choice of activities equally as strange.

"Don't they get sick of you?" Cleo wanted to know as Carrie quickened her pace until they were walking side by side. "Teddy's parents, I mean. Or Teddy, even..."

"Not really, no."

"Well...I think it's a bit weird..."

"So you keep telling me..."

"But don't you think I'm right? You spend more time round at the Lupins during the summer than you do at your own house!"

Carrie took a turn at rolling her eyes then, but if she were entirely honest with herself, which she rarely was, she would have to admit that Cleo possibly had a point. Maybe.

But not really. There was nothing wrong with the lengths of time that Carrie spent round at her neighbors' house during the holidays when their son Teddy was back from boarding school. There were two main reasons why this was. Firstly, Teddy Lupin was Carrie's very best friend in the world, and had been so ever since Carrie's family had moved to Eddington some four summers previously. Carrie missed Teddy terribly when he was away at school, despite his frequent letters, and so when he finally returned home for the holidays the pair were near on inseparable.

The second reason why Carrie's frequent visits next door were perfectly acceptable was simply this:

Carrie just couldn't help herself.

And she was pretty sure that if Cleo, or anybody else that matter, knew quite what she did about the Lupins, they would be equally as obsessed with them.

Not that Carrie was obsessed...she was sure she wasn't...not really...only a little.

Over the years that she had known them, what Carrie had come to know about the Lupins could possibly fill several books, but what she didn't know about them could probably fill a great many more. And that was what she loved about being around them. There was never a dull moment within those four walls as far as Carrie was concerned.

Because the Lupins were magical.

Not the boring, childish and fake sort of magical, like those awful clowns that your parents used to hire as entertainment at your birthday party, nor the sort of magical that meant they were very good at doing tricks with a pack of playing cards.

No, the Lupins were properly magical, as in real, proper, no tricks sort of magic. Carrie lived next door to a couple of wizards and a witch. And as if that wasn't quite exciting enough, she could also admit to having befriended a couple of shape shifters and a werewolf.

Not that she ever admitted anything of the sort. The truth about the Lupins was all one big secret, as was the existence of the entire Wizarding World. It was no wonder, Carrie supposed, that Cleo could not understand her preoccupation.

"Are you still fiddling with that gum?" Cleo asked as they passed through the gates and came to a halt, ready to go their separate ways home. "God Carrie! If you don't want to chew it, I bloody will!"

Carrie glanced down as she drew the offending object out of her pocket. The wrapping was beginning to look somewhat worse for wear after her persistent toying.

"He's a total loser, you know." Cleo announced, eying the gum with disgust and Carrie felt her cheeks warming as she mumbled:

"I don't know who you're talking about."

"Of course you do! He's a right pretty boy, he walks around with a comb in his pocket and he checks his reflection whenever he walks past a window. He's more of a girl than I am!"

Carrie offered her friend a scowl as she reached to shove the gum back into her pocket.

"Well that's not very difficult though, is it Cleo?" she said as she adjusted the bag upon her shoulder in a distinctly irritable fashion. "You're about as feminine as a prime beef stake."

Cleo merely sniggered at this observation as she turned to head off up the road.

"D'you want to come over for fish and chips at the weekend?" she asked, grinning widely. "Bowie's mates from college are all coming over, I might suffocate from all the nail polish and hair dye fumes if you don't come and help open some extra windows."

Carrie failed to suppress a snigger of her own, her annoyance immediately forgotten.

"That sounds good to me!" she enthused, and with that both girls waved cheerfully and went their separate ways, only for Cleo to call over her shoulder:

"You don't actually like him, do you? Like...LIKE him? Because that would be unbelievably pathetic...not to mention bloody disgusting!"

Carrie let out an exaggerated snort of amusement and she called back:

"Of course I don't!"

"Thank God for that!" Cleo exclaimed, throwing her hands up in relief. "I was starting to think you were turning into my sister or something, you know, having stupid crushes on anything that moves!"

Carrie gave a rather uncertain chuckle.

"Well that'll never happen!" she shouted, and with that she waved one last time before turning to hurry on up the street.

It having been only a half day at school to mark the end of term, Carrie arrived home to an empty house; her brothers Timothy and Thomas were still at college, her father would not be home from the office until dinner time and her mother had gone out shopping with one of Carrie's aunts.

Carrie made a beeline for the kitchen to fetch herself a tall glass of lemonade, before wandering out into the back garden to soak up the sunshine. After taking a few sips of lemonade, she reached into her pocket again to retrieve the strip of chewing gum. As she observed the way the sunlight reflected off of the shiny surface, Carrie frowned deeply. It was typical, she mused, that she should have to come home to an empty house when she had spent the majority of the day dying to ask her mother one particular question...

As her gaze drifted up from the foil and came to rest upon the fence that separated her garden from that of the Lupins' next door, it occurred to Carrie that really, her mother might not be quite the person she wanted to pose this particular question to after all. The teenager found herself grinning broadly as she half skipped over to the fence, rising up upon the balls of her feet so that she could peer over into the Lupins' back garden. Upon inspection, she found both patio and lawn to be void of life, though the back door had been left open and Carrie was pretty sure that she could hear somebody moving around the kitchen. Squinting towards the back window, Carrie could just about make out a blurry mass of pink hovering just above the sink. And so the muggle drew in a deep breath and bellowed:

"DORA?"

There was only a slight pause before a voice shouted back:

"Alright, Carrie love?" And with that, Teddy's mother's head peered out into the garden, lips curving into a wide smile as she called: "How was school?"

"It was okay."

"Just okay?" Dora stepped out into the bright afternoon sun, reaching to wipe her damp hands upon the front of an artfully patched pair of denim jeans. "Well if that's how much you smile on an okay day, you better watch out for those good days, you might split your face."

Carrie sniggered, twirling the strip of gum absentmindedly around in her fingers.

"How's Remus?" she asked, and the pink haired witch glanced back towards the house, frowning ever so slightly before plastering another grin onto her face and announcing:

"He's alright."

Carrie followed her gaze towards the doorway, only to find that Eddington's resident werewolf was nowhere to be seen.

"Can I ask you a question?" she asked, turning her attention back to Dora as the witch came to a halt before her, reaching to lean against the fence.

"What's that, then?" Dora asked, reaching to brush a short strand of vibrant hair from her eyes, and suddenly Carrie felt her cheeks flushing red self consciously. When offered an arched eyebrow, however, the girl swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat and, staring at a random plant pot upon the Lupins' patio, asked:

"Well...the thing is...well, I was just wondering...like..." She trailed off into awkward silence when Dora simply chuckled in a non-too discrete way under her breath. Apparently noticing her young neighbor's embarrassment, the metamorphmagus stopped her amusement abruptly and observed:

"It's about boys, isn't it?"

Carrie simply gawped at her, face fast turning a similar shade to Dora's hair as the witch merely raised another eyebrow.

"How...how do you...?"

"It's magic, Carrie love!" Dora said with an innocent shrug, but when the girl seemed unconvinced she admitted: "Well, funnily enough, though it might be difficult to believe, I myself was a teenager once."

"I find it very difficult to believe." a voice commented from the kitchen doorway. "I always thought you got to about five and then stopped maturing."

As Carrie failed to smother a giggle, Dora glanced over at the figure who had appeared in the doorway in order to tell him:

"It's nice to see you've got your sense of humour back, Sweetheart, it'll help keep you in good cheer now you're going to finish the washing up for me."

"Hi Remus!" Carrie greeted, and as he let out a small sigh of resignation, Teddy's father called back:

"Hello Carrie." Gesturing back into the kitchen behind him, the werewolf told his wife: "I've got all the papers out, by the way."

"Great." Dora said, though Carrie couldn't help but think that she didn't think it was great in the slightest. "We'll make a start on that before we go and get Ted from the station."

Remus offered Carrie a vague wave before turning and disappearing back inside, and as she watched him go, Dora told the girl rather loudly:

"The first thing you need to know about boys, Carrie, is that they're all a bunch of smug gits, no matter how old they are. Even the nice ones."

Carrie smiled a little as she frowned down at the chewing gum once again.

"How can you tell..." she wondered as the witch turned back to face her. "...when a boy likes you? Like...properly likes you?"

The pink haired witch sucked in a deep, thoughtful breath, a deep frown creasing her brow.

"Well...that can be a bit tricky." she said, reaching to fiddle with a loose piece of ribbon upon her blouse. "I suppose it rather depends upon the boy."

"Well how did you know that Remus liked you?" Carrie asked her, surprised when she received a snort of amusement in response.

"How did I know that Remus liked me?" Dora said, shaking her head a little at the recollection. "Well...I didn't. Not for a long while. He's not the easiest of books to read, my husband. Especially when it comes to who he likes and who he doesn't. Remus likes everybody, pretty much, and if he doesn't like them he's still painfully polite. Which of course meant it took me a long time to figure out whether or not he liked me in the way that I liked him."

"So how did you figure it out?" Carrie asked eagerly, and Dora grinned broadly.

"I didn't." she said again, causing Carrie to frown. "I got suspicious, of course, when the rota for guard duty at the Department of Mysteries seemed to keep altering and people kept mysteriously canceling their joint shifts with me at the last minute leaving Remus to take their place...but of course I couldn't know for sure how he felt. It was likely enough that he just liked me as a friend."

"Then what did you do?"

"I just decided that I didn't want us to just be friends, I wanted us to be more than that. And then I told him what I had decided...and refused to take no for an answer. You shouldn't let anything stand in the way of happiness, Carrie. Especially where love is concerned. No matter who or what you are." Dora paused, seemingly lost in the memory for a long moment, before blinking hard and telling the girl: "Tell me all about him then. What's his name?"

"Alexander." Carrie mumbled, shifting her feet rather shyly.

"Okay. And what's Alexander like?"

Carrie's face contorted a little as she recalled:

"Cleo says he's a pretty boy, she says he's more girly than she is."

"Well that's not difficult."

"That's what I told her. She might be right, though, about Alexander. He does carry a comb around in his pocket, I've seen it...but he's very nice!"

"Yeah? How's that?"

"Well he holds doors open for me in the corridor...well...not just me, he doesn't it for everybody, but...but he did it for me once last week."

"Right..."

"And he doesn't call me a freak, like lots of the others. He even told Carl Thompson to shut up when he laughed at my poetry in English."

"He sounds like a decent sort of boy."

"I think he is. Oh! And he said he liked my bag! Yesterday, when I was in the library, he walked past and sort said...nice bag. And then he smiled at me!"

Dora nodded slowly, pursing her lips together thoughtfully as she decided:

"Well...we all like a boy who smiles, don't we?

"And then today in History he was sat in front of me and he...well he turned around in his chair and asked me if I would like a chewing gum."

"Did he give anybody else some chewing gum?"

"Well...maybe...a few people..."

"Hmm...well...have you ever spoken to him? Have you ever told him that you like him?"

Carrie's eyes widened in alarm.

"No!" she cried, utterly horrified. "Of course not!"

"Ah, well there lies the problem, Carrie love. They're a bit thick, boys, they don't do subtle..."

"But...but I've not even spoken to him properly before! We've not even had lunch together or...or anything like that!"

"Well have lunch with him then. Ask him what he likes to do at the weekend, and when he tells you he likes to go to go to the...you know, with the pictures..."

"The cinema?"

"That's the one. When he tells you he likes to go to the cinema, you tell him you like to go there too. Then ask him if he wants to go with you."

"And then I tell him I like him?"

"Well...I'd wait until after the trip to the cinema. After several trips to the cinema."

"What if he doesn't want to go to the cinema? What if he doesn't like me?"

"Well then you conclude that Cleo was right, he's just a pretty boy and you don't really want anything to do with him anyway. And then you find another boy, mess it up with him and then you find another one...you get the picture."

"But...but you said don't take no for an answer!"

Dora's dark eyes sobered somewhat as she reached to pat Carrie upon the arm before straightening up and setting off slowly towards the back door again.

"As long as you come and ask me about liking boys, you can accept as many _no_s as you like." she called back to the girl over her shoulder. "But the day you come and ask me about loving a man, _that's_ the day you stop letting him say no."

Carrie had thought those words to be some of the wisest advice that she had ever heard, and at that very moment, as she unwrapped the chewing gum and stuffed it unceremoniously into her mouth, the young muggle vowed to remember the witch's words forever after.

But as she sat down the kitchen table beside her husband a moment later, Dora Lupin had absolutely no idea that her simple advice was about to bring her whole entire world crumbling down around her.


	2. Money Matters

_Note: Thanks to my reviewers! It's great to know you are reading this new story! XD_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor am I making any profit from this piece of writing._

**2: Money Matters**

It was precisely five o'clock that evening when Carrie's loud rendition of the latest track to blare out of her CD player was interrupted by the sound of her bedroom door being pushed open, and a wonderfully familiar voice observed:

"You've quite possibly the most unique singing voice in the whole of Muggle Britain, Miss Winters."

Carrie was vaguely aware of her face flushing with embarrassment as she hastily dropped her hairbrush-microphone to the floor and spun around to face her visitor, heart soaring at the very sight of him.

"I'll have you know, Mr. Lupin, that this voice could take both the Muggle and Wizarding worlds by storm!" she declared, reaching to jab at the CD player's pause button.

As silence descended upon the bedroom, Teddy Lupin smirked.

"Well, where's my hug then?" the young wizard asked, holding out his arms expectantly, and before he could draw another breath Carrie had let out a somewhat high pitched squeal and launched herself across the room at him, throwing her arms around his neck and burying her face in his grey school jumper.

"You need to stop growing, Ted! You're starting to make me look like a dwarf!" she exclaimed a moment later when they drew apart, she reaching to straighten his disheveled red and gold tie, frowning as she observed: "Your parents didn't call for me to come and meet you from King's Cross. I always come and meet you off the train, I was looking forward to it!"

The Gryffindor reached to attempt to flatten a stray strand of turquoise hair, expression distinctly apologetic.

"Yeah...about that, Carrie..."

"You said last time you wrote that they were going to take us out to dinner."

"Dad says we can't go today, he and Mum have got some important stuff to sort out. They're busy plotting around the kitchen table as we speak, every time I go in there they tell me to go away...best welcome home ever!"

Carrie frowned deeply as she turned and went to sit upon the edge of her bed, reaching to push aside a few books that she had abandoned upon the duvet to make room for him to sit beside her.

"What do you suppose they're plotting?" she asked, and as he sat down, Teddy reached into his pocket to pull out a crumpled looking piece of paper.

"I could take a wild guess." he murmured, tone suddenly quite grim, and then he unfolded the paper and held it out for her inspection. Carrie squinted down at it to find herself looking at a newspaper article, no doubt from the wizards' paper The Daily Prophet.

_BUDGET ALTERATIONS SHOCK AUROR DEPARTMENT_

_New plans for spending by the Auror Department have left the workforce divided this week after Head of Aurors Harry Potter announced plans to slash Auror salaries for the first time in decades. This alteration comes after Minister for Magic Kingsley Shacklebolt deducted funds for the department in order to boost resources for other Ministry workers. In an interview last week the Minister spoke of his decision, insisting that he had every confidence in both Mr. Potter and his deputy, Nymphadora Lupin, assuring the public that the cuts would have no detrimental effect upon public safety. _

"_They will keep the Auror Department in perfect working order." he said. "There is absolutely no need for alarm. The money is desperately needed by other departments where there has long been a shortage of funds. The threat from Dark Magic is not as great as it once was, and as such we must adjust spending accordingly."_

_When announcing his own plans for the department, Mr. Potter explained that a reduction in salary was a step forward for the Aurors as a force. _

"_The money diverted from salaries will instead be spent on training new Aurors." he told the press this morning outside of the Ministry of Magic. "There has been a great increase in applications to join the Auror Training Scheme since the entry requirements were altered some years ago, which is nothing but good news for my department. However under the current system there we would struggle to train all successful applicants to a satisfactory standard. Under this new system we can continue to produce highly trained, professional dark wizard captors, and it is this training that gives my staff the edge over those criminals that they come up against. Both myself and the Deputy Head of Aurors have agreed that no matter what happens to the budget, the quality of Auror training cannot under any circumstances be compromised." _

_When asked whether or not he thought these alterations would have a negative effect upon the number of new applicants to join the Aurors, Mr. Potter simply stated:_

"_It is entirely likely, but I believe that to be a good thing. The Order of the Phoenix fought against Voldemort and the Death Eaters without the comfort of extra gold in their vaults. They did it for the greater good, just as the best of Aurors would do. If you want to join the Auror Department for the sake of money, please don't bother. We don't want you." _

"Mum's salary used to just about cover everything with a little left over." Teddy recalled as Carrie finished reading, puffing her cheeks rather worriedly. "I have no idea how much money Harry's taking off of us, but it's enough for Mum and Dad to lock themselves away from half a day doing every sum imaginable...I think we might be in trouble."

Carrie pursed her lips in consideration as she reached to pat the boy comfortingly upon the knee.

"I wouldn't worry, Ted." she assured him, handing back the newspaper cutting. "You'd be amazed at what parents can dream up, they'll have no trouble figuring out what to do! Besides, your mum's the Deputy Head of Aurors...not that I know anything about what jobs are worth, but don't you think she's one of the better paid ones?"

"That's what I thought." Teddy agreed, reaching to scratch his head with a frown. "But they still seem pretty worried. When I got home earlier, Mum dragged me into the living room whilst Dad was making tea, and she said:_ Try and stay out of Dad's way today, won't you Teddy love? He's having a very bad day._ And we all know what that means, don't we? When Dad has a bad day it means he's going to have a bad week...a bad fortnight...a bad month..."

"Well he seemed perfectly cheery when I spoke to him earlier." Carrie reasoned, though her heart sank nevertheless.

By now Carrie was quite used to the ever changing highs and lows of Remus' life. He could go from Cloud Nine to the pits of despair in just a few short minutes, and whilst he could go months without so much as a frown, he could go an equally long period with barely a fleeting smile.

_It's bloody mental_, Teddy had once complained to his mother some years previously when Remus had disappeared out of the house to "go for a walk" and had failed to return five hours later. _He's bloody mental! _

Dora had pointed out if Teddy were to have been married to somebody like her for as long as his father had, he would possibly have bouts of insanity too, and then she had told him to watch his language.

Carrie strongly suspected that being married to Dora was in actual fact the only thing that kept Remus on the reasonably straight and narrow, and his moments of despair had far more to do with the fact that for the past Merlin knew how many years he had been unemployed, ill on a regular basis, and downright bored with life. Quite frankly, Carrie thought it admirable that he was cheerful as often as he was, especially since he had a startling ability to appear persistently happy in front of friends and relatives. Indeed, had it not been for Teddy admitting to her about his father's depression, Carrie would probably never have known about it at all.

"Something needs to be done." Teddy observed, as he did on almost every occasion that they had these discussions, and Carrie got to her feet and turned to face him, plastering a smile upon her face.

"C'mon Ted!" she exclaimed reaching to grab hold of him by the arm and pulling him up onto his feet. "Let your parents worry about all of that. Cheer up, it's the summer holidays for Merlin's sake! I've not seen you for MONTHS!"

Teddy let out a small sigh, before at last smiling back at her.

"You're right." he agreed, brightening much to her relief. "What shall we do?" Before Carrie could say anything at all he recalled: "Oh! I know! We could play Gobstones, I got a brand new set for Christmas from Harry, but it was no use playing with Victoire at school, she's rubbish at it."

And with that, both teenagers dashed towards the bedroom door.

Kicking his shoes off into a corner as he and Carrie stepped through the front door into his house, Teddy's enthusiasm for the summer holidays was undoubtedly back.

"I'll fetch the game, then!" he declared, shooting off up the staircase as Carrie carefully placed her shoes neatly against the wall. "Oh! There's chocolate in the cupboard! Go get it before Dad eats the lot!"

Grinning happily, Carrie half skipped down the hallway, skidding to a halt before the closed kitchen door, hand hovering over the handle as she heard muffled voices from within.  
"...minus the payment to the goblins."

"Mm."

"Minus the payment to whatshisface."

"Mm."

"And then that's it."

"You forgot I still owe fifty to the other one."

"I thought we finished paying that off last month."

"No...that was the other one."

"Fine, fine. So, minus fifty to them, then we're done. That leaves us with...?"

"Minus seventy eight galleons, fourteen sickles and two knuts."

There was a long silence.

"So..." Dora's voice finally said, sounding distinctly weary, "If we were to use what's in the vault for that each month...we could carry on for about...four months..."

"We're not taking money from the vault, Dora, that's for Teddy when he leaves school. We'll just have to...I don't know...think of something else."

"Maybe you could write to the bank, you know, ask them if you could lower the payments a little..."

"You want me to write to GOBLINS to ask them to lower my repayments?"  
"Well...no."

More silence.

"Alright," Remus said at last, as Carrie bit her lip in worry. "This is doable, I'm sure it is...we'll just have to cross a few more things off the list. Like..."

"If you say the house, I'm going to curse you."

"Well...it's a big house..."

"I like living here. That's not an option."

"Fine. What about..."

"Yes?"

"No.

"Spit it out, Remus."

"Ted's school things. I know it's only a little thing, but it all adds up, we could...well...well he doesn't need new books, or...or new robes..."

"Good. So, Ted's school stuff can be gotten second hand, that'll save a good bit, I reckon. Don't look at me like that, it was your idea and he's a big boy, he can cope. What about we take a chunk out everybody's clothes budget, we can mend those boots of mine with a bit of glue and stuff. And...oh! Obviously, we could cancel the season tickets to the Quidditch, that'll save us plenty..."

"You like Quidditch."

"Well spotted, love. But funnily enough I love not having my house repossessed more. We'll have to stop the payments into Ted's fund too...don't look at me like that again..."

"It's not that bad, Dora, we don't need to do that..."

"It's not that bad NOW. We're hardly going to starve and the house won't fall to pieces, no. You know it seems just a little thing now, but wait a few years, if we don't have this figured out we're going to be destitute by the time I retire, Ted'll have to keep us in a shed at the bottom of his garden or something. We need to be extra careful, especially with the bloody goblins, I don't want to piss them off, thank you very much!"

Carrie heard the sound of chair legs scraping against tiles as Dora said:

"See if you can cut out a bit more, yeah? I'll be back in a minute..."

Hearing footsteps, Carrie hastily pushed the door open and walked into the kitchen, attempting the brightest smile she could muster.

"Wotcher, Carrie love." Dora greeted as she passed, disappearing out into the hallway, and Carrie made a beeline for the cupboards beside the oven. The muggle glanced at Remus as she passed him, finding him staring intently down at a mass of parchment, each sheet seemingly covered in figures and sums, some scribbled out, others circled in red ink.

"Ted says I'm to steal your chocolate." Carrie informed the werewolf, full of fake cheer, and as she predicted he paused in his frowning to offer her a look of mock-indignation.

"Did he now?" he said, arching an eyebrow as Carrie reached to pull open the cupboard. "Well then...he better keep a close eye on those chocolate frogs I spotted in his school trunk earlier."

"I'll be sure to warn him." Carrie said as she hastily snatched up the enormous bar of Honeydukes' Finest Milk Chocolate and made for the door.

She and Teddy played Gobstones for some hour before they were interrupted by the fireplace in the living room emitted a roar of emerald flames, announcing the arrival of Arthur and Molly Weasley, who Teddy had explained were joining them for dinner that evening.

"You are staying for dinner, aren't you?" the young wizard had added expectantly as his parents had appeared to greet their guests and offer to take their cloaks.

"I suppose I could." Carrie said as the adults all trooped off down the hall towards the kitchen. "Mum already thinks I'm eating with you tonight."

"Good!" Teddy exclaimed happily, leading the way after the others. "Dad already set you a place at the table."

Carrie so thoroughly enjoyed the cheerful banter over Shepard's pie and jam sponge pudding that she had been missing during the long school months, that she quite forgot about the financial threat to her happy little magical world. It was not until after dinner, when Dora, Carrie and Molly stayed in the kitchen to tidy up, leaving the others to go and lounge around in the living room that reality began to rear it's ugly head once again.

"Poor Harry's having such a terrible week!" Molly was saying as she set the stack of plates to wash themselves with a flick of her wand. "The two of you have caused quite a stir, Ginny says."

"They're making a big fuss over nothing." Dora muttered as she reached to pull open a drawer and set about putting away the clean cutlery. "If they stopped to actually do the maths, they'd realise they're not losing all that much money."

"Well that's what Harry said," Molly said with a heavy sigh. "But sometimes not that much...well, it can tip some families over the edge."

"Mmm." Dora said, frowning deeply as she reached to pick up a piece of parchment that had been abandoned upon the kitchen counter top. "I suppose you're right."

"Some people, they have to plan their spending so carefully! A few less galleons can mean so much..." Molly trailed off into silence as she glanced over at the younger witch, pausing, wand hovering ready over the sink. "Goodness!" she exclaimed, hastily pocketing the wand and taking a few steps forward. "Are you alright, Tonks dear? You look as though you've seen a Dementer!"

Carrie abandoned her scrubbing of the kitchen table in order to look over at Teddy's mother, only to find her staring down at the parchment in her hands with wide, horrified eyes.

"Sweet Merlin..." the pink haired witch breathed, free hand balling into a tight fist. "I'm going to KILL HIM!"

"Who's that, dear?" Molly asked, frowning deeply, and at the sound of her voice Dora hastily stuffed the parchment into her pocket and amended:

"I'm going to kill him later. Um...how's Charlie doing? I've not heard from him in a while now."

Molly immediately folded her arms firmly across her chest and fixed her with a firm stare.

"What's happened?" she asked bluntly, and Carrie was pretty sure that she, like Dora, knew all about the right and wrong time not to take no for an answer. The muggle went back to her scrubbing when Dora cast a sideways glance at her before finally consenting to pull the parchment out of her pocket and holding it out for Molly to see. As the older witch studied the offending item, expression more despairing by the second, Dora reached to rake a weary hand through her disheveled pink hair.

"Oh goodness, Tonks!" Molly finally breathed, eyes wide when she finally looked up. "Talk some sense into him, for the love of Merlin!"

"I know! I just...Merlin, what if I hadn't have found it? What if he'd...what if he'd gone and done it without telling me?"

"I'm sure wouldn't go behind your back, dear..." Molly sighed heavily, shaking her head. "Gosh, if you don't kill him, I certainly will do! Honestly, to even consider such a thing!"

"Don't say anything to him!" Dora insisted with a sniff, and Carrie was worried that she might start to cry. "Merlin...if he knew you'd seen..."

"He'd die of shame. Yes, yes dear, they're all the same, these noble Gryffindor idiots, you forget I married one too..."

And with that, the kitchen door swung open unexpectedly and Remus and Teddy strode into the room, the werewolf levitating a trio of glasses along before him as his son babbled excitedly about something or other, only to narrowly avoid walking straight into the back of him when Remus came to an abrupt halt, eyes widening in surprise.

Dora and Molly both stared back at him for a long moment, before Dora glanced rather guiltily down at the parchment she was still holding out for Molly to see. As Teddy trailed off into a bemused silence, the temperature in the kitchen seemed to drop a good few degrees as Molly opened and closed her mouth a few times in an attempt to think of something useful to say.

"Tell you what, Molly." Dora said at last, hastily turning her attention back to the cutlery, shoulders visibly hunched. "Don't you worry about the rest of this, Remus and I can finish it."

"Yes...yes perhaps you might." Molly agreed, sound more than a little flustered. "Arthur and I...well...well we should probably be getting back, really. It's getting late."

And with that, the Weasley matriarch made a bid for freedom, eyes purposefully fixed upon the tiled floor.

"Teddy?" Dora said briskly as the glasses Remus had been levitated deposited themselves in the sink with a rather loud clunk. "Go to bed."

Teddy's face contorted in annoyance.

"Mum, it's not even nine o'clock!"

"Just go to bed."

"What about Carrie?"

Carrie felt her cheeks reddening when Dora glanced over at her as if she had only just noticed the muggle was there. Before she could be given her marching orders, the girl reached to grab hold of Teddy by the arm.

"C'mon, Ted!" she exclaimed, towing him hastily towards the door. "Let's go...goodnight Dora! Night Remus! Thank you for having me."

"You're very welcome." both adults replied in a monotone as they stood, eyes fixed upon one another as the children disappeared out through the door.

The door had barely closed before they heard Dora announce:

"Okay, I am really, really, really sorry..."

"I can't believe you did that." Remus complained, and as both she and Teddy shuffled back a little towards the door, Carrie couldn't help but think that he was speaking through clenched teeth. "It's just...just unbelievable..."

"I know, love, I know and I'm really, really sorry! I really shouldn't have, but...well she asked..."

"Ah, well, if she ASKED I suppose you had no other choice but to show her!"

"Don't be like that..."

"It does rather beg the question: is there anything at all that you don't tell Molly about us?"

"Oh she knows everything, Remus. I go round to the Burrow every week and tell her all about how much debt we've got left to pay off and sometimes I take the letters the bank send us and show them to her so she can have a good read! For the love of Merlin, Remus! I was just a bit UPSET! I mean...I mean...what IS this? What...what the bloody hell is this? What on earth have you been thinking?"

Carrie swallowed the lump in her throat as beside her Teddy leant back against the hallway wall with a deep sigh.

"Here we go..." he whispered, and she shuffled her feet awkwardly and mumbled:

"I think this would be a good time for me to leave..."

"IN WHAT DELUDED AND MESSED UP WORLD DO YOU THINK I WOULD THINK THIS WAS A GOOD IDEA?"

"I was only thinking..."

"HOW COULD YOU EVEN THINK IT? DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW...HOW UPSET THE MERE IDEA MAKES ME?"

"I could probably hazard a guess."

"DON'T BE SUCH A SARCASTIC GIT WHEN I'M TRYING TO BE SERIOUS! YOU CAN'T NOT BLOODY BUY WOLFSBANE, REMUS! You...you just can't bloody do it!"

"Alright then, I can't do it...you don't have to scream at me..."

"Yes I bloody do! Yes I do! I can't...I can't believe you'd even consider...or I can. I can believe it, and it's bloody painful..."

"Okay, okay...shh..."

Dora's voice became distinctly muffled as she complained:

"Those Ministry Werewolf Control centres they set up...you haven't seen them, Remus, they...they're worse than Azkaban, I swear it..."

"Shh."

"I don't care if Kingsley sacks me! We'll always find money for Wolfsbane somewhere, I'm not having them...having them chain you up somewhere for the night..."

"Alright. But we might at least try and find a cheaper apothecary."

"How cheap are you talking? Severely sick cheap or Knockturn pure poison cheap?"

"There's no harm in looking, is there?"

"I suppose not...TEDDY?"

Beside the door, Teddy gave a startled jump, eyes wide in panic as he cleared his throat hurriedly and reluctantly called back:

"Yes Mum?"

"Show's over! Go to bed!"

Face contorting in embarrassment at being caught eavesdropping, the young wizard gave a rather nervous chuckle and suggested:

"I could just not go to bed now, couldn't I? I mean...since the show's over."

"Nice try, but I'm pretty sure eavesdropping on us warrants banishment for at least two hours, not to mention cleaning out the owl cages tomorrow morning."

Teddy's expression became distinctly revolted and he reached to fling open the kitchen door, much to Carrie's horror. The muggle immediately began to shuffle her way towards the front door, ready for escape.

"That's not fair!" Teddy exclaimed indigently as his parents drew apart from their tight embrace to both fix him with suitably disapproving looks. "Do you have any idea how gross it is to clean those cages without magic?"

"Of course I do." Dora said, sounding entirely unsympathetic. "Now go on, get up those stairs."

"But Mum!"

"Tell him, Remus."

"If you're not upstairs by the time your mother counts to ten, Theodore, I'm going to confiscate your broomstick."

Teddy simply stared at them in outrage.

"You guys are unbelievable!" he informed the adults furiously. "You were shouting loud enough that I'd have heard you upstairs anyway!"

"Ten...nine...eight..." Dora began, arching an eyebrow, and Carrie was just pulling on her shoes as the irritable teenaged wizard cried:

"Sweet Merlin...! I HATE YOU!"

And with that, he made a stomping dash for the stairs. As Carrie hastily slipped out of the front door, she was sure he heard Dora mutter:

"You know that's the second time he's said that to me today! Children...they really are the bane of my existence!"

And it would be just a day later that the Deputy Head of Aurors would come to realise that this was no mere joking comment, but quite possibly one of the most damning truths that she would ever utter.


	3. Knockturn Alley

_Note: Thank you very much to all of my reviewers! I know this chapter is a little shorter than usual, but later chapter will be much longer...and of course I like my cliffhangers..._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter._

**3: Knockturn Alley**

Carrie Winters had first experienced the excitement and wonder that was shopping in Diagon Alley at the age of thirteen, when Remus and Dora had consented to taking her with them whilst they went to buy Teddy's school supplies for the coming year. Since then, the muggle had only been invited on a couple or so other outings to the wizarding shops, and so when Teddy had knocked on her door to ask her if she would like to join his family for ice cream in Diagon Alley, she had felt instantly excited.

And so it was that she found herself stood in the Lupins' hallway, rocking back and forth excitedly on her heels as she watched Dora pull on a pair of boots whilst Teddy shrugged on a jacket.

"So...are you going to sort that this morning?" Dora called down the hall as Remus locked the back door and windows with a wide sweep of his wand. Carrie watched him wander down the hallway, engrossed in his examination of a letter that he held in his free hand.

"Mm." the werewolf said, at last glancing up as Teddy reached to pull the door open. "We'll have ice cream first. Then you can get Teddy's dress robes adjusted and I'll go and...sort it."

"Sounds like a plan." Dora agreed, snatching up a bag from the floor before ushering the two teenagers out of the door in front of her. "So," the witch said, voice instantly brightening like the sunshine that greeted them outside. "What's your favorite kind of ice cream, Carrie?"

"Strawberry." Carrie supplied as they began to crunch their way down the gravel driveway, only for Teddy to snigger and inform her:

"That's a bit dull."

"Oh?" Carrie said, glancing sideways to offer him a raised eyebrow. "What's yours then?"

"Honeycomb with clotted cream." Teddy announced, expression somewhat faraway at the mere thought. His face fell a little when Dora recalled:

"They didn't have that last time we went." As Remus caught up with them, having paused to lock the front door, the pink haired witch reached to take hold of his hand. "They don't do as many flavours as they used to when I was a kid. It's always been like that since what happened to poor Florean."

"Who's Florean?" Carrie wondered aloud, and she glanced back to see the two adults exchange a distinctly dark look.

"He used to run the shop until...well..." Dora murmured, shaking her head. "Nasty business, that." She concluded as Remus took a turn at shaking his head too.

"What happened?" Carrie asked, and Remus' gaze dropped to his shoes as Dora said:

"Voldemort happened, that's what."

"Oh..." Carrie hastily turned back to gaze up the road ahead of them.

"Florean's nephew runs the shop now." Remus explained as they trooped down the little alleyway that served as a safe apparation point away from the prying eyes of the surrounding muggle neighborhood. They came to a halt and Remus turned to peer back down the alley to make sure that the coast was clear.

"Ladies first." the werewolf decided, and Carrie had barely watched a wide grin materialise upon Dora's face before the witch reached to grasp hold of the muggle firmly by the arm and all of a sudden the girl felt a sickening pulling sensation and the alleyway around her seemed to disappear entirely. As she felt the ground beneath her feet become distinctly uneven she blinked hard, and with that she found herself stood at the cobbled back entrance of the Leaky Cauldron pub. As Remus and Teddy appeared just behind them with a soft pop, Carrie heard movement from within the building and a balding man stuck his head out from around the open back door.

"Alright, Tonks?" the man called as Dora turned to offer him a bright smile. "How're you doing?"

"Good, thanks Tom." the Auror told him as Remus and Teddy turned to offer greeting smiles too. "How about you?"

"Ah, not so bad..." Tom mumbled, gazing over her shoulder as he observed: "Tagged along this time, eh Remus? I'm glad to see you, as it happens...I wonder if I might ask a favour of you? It's worth a free whiskey or two, if you have a moment."

"We're not in a hurry." Remus told him, and the barman grinned, revealing a large number of missing teeth.

"There's a boggart under the bed in Room Three." Tom explained, huffing in a distinctly irritated manner. "Bloody nuisance it is, scared Tiffany Wolding's girl half to death when she woke up this morning! And they say you're handy with boggarts, they do."

"Who're they when they're at home then?" Dora asked, as Remus glanced up at the windows of the pub's upper floors.

"Well plenty of people, I reckon." Tom said as he leant against the door frame. "Half of 'em his ex-students, the other half of 'em wishing they were his ex-students...funny you should show up actually, I was just talking to Alicia Spinnet, she was saying about Hogwarts, how there's talk of complaints about the Defense professor. She said to me just now, she did, they ought have you back, Remus. And them you show up, what a coincidence, eh?"

"Yeah, well," Dora said, reaching to give Remus a small push forwards towards the door. "That's not going to happen, which is a shame. The right people never know a good thing when they see it, do they love?" When Remus shot her a rather weak smile, she grinned at him and said: "Still, don't tell them that will you? Can't have you and Ted prancing off to Hogwarts together, I'd miss you far too much. We'll be ordering, okay? C'mon then, Ted, Carrie..."

The row after row of brightly coloured tubs of ice cream made it difficult for Carrie to imagine just how many different flavours had been available when Florean had run the shop, indeed it was almost inconceivable that so much ice cream could fit into such a small space. The muggle strongly suspected that there was magic involved in one form or another.

"Don't tell me you're going to have strawberry!" Teddy teased as he stood watching her eye the selection with wide, amazed and all together delighted eyes. In the end Carrie did indeed choose a different flavour, though she did not quite see how strawberry could have been deemed a boring choice – after all there did appear to be at least six different varieties of strawberry ice cream, from strawberries and cream to strawberries mixed with Every Flavoured Beans.

They sat outside around a little round table with an umbrella, watching people go about their shopping whilst they ate, Teddy grumbling about his upcoming trip to Madam Malkin's to have his robes adjusted.

"Would you rather not bother then?" Dora asked him as he scooped up a large blob of icecream upon a wafer biscuit and took a large bite. "You know, we can just leave them as they are, you can show up at the party and spend the day tripping over the hem and dipping the long sleeves in people's food."

"Can't I just wear a shirt and my school trousers?"

"Not a chance, love. Your Gran bought you those robes, and by Merlin, you're going to wear them."

Carrie stifled a snigger at Teddy's huff of irritation, only to have her attention diverted by Dora glancing past the two children, eyes growing suddenly wide.

"Sweet Merlin!" the Auror exclaimed as both children twisted in their chairs to see what she was staring at. "What happened to you?"

As he reached to draw an empty chair out from under the table, one hand clutching a distinctly crimson-looking handkerchief to one side of his forehead, Remus' lips were pressed together into a thin, distinctly bad tempered line. He dropped down onto the chair, ignoring the stares of a few passers by, before tossing the bloody handkerchief down upon the table and reaching for his waiting sundae.

"It wasn't a boggart." he muttered darkly, snatching up his spoon.

"Oh..." he wife said, putting down her own spoon so that she could lean to squint at the long gash upon his forehead with a deep frown. "What was it, then?"

"Merlin knows. Something with claws." Remus mumbled, shoveling an oversized spoonful of ice cream into his mouth, only to let out a shudder at the sudden cold.

"No kidding." Dora agreed, and when Teddy sniggered she shot the boy a warning look.

"I managed to stun it and lock the room up. Tom's going to have to owl the Ministry."

"What was it like?" Teddy asked excitedly, and Remus opened his mouth to reply, only to wince as Dora reached to press a clean handkerchief to the wound, offering him a raised eyebrow in apology.

"It made the most hideous, shrieking sound, like..."

_Eeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!_

At the sudden, if a little muffled sound, both children jumped in surprise and Carrie managed to catapult ice cream down the front of her dress. She paid her mishap a mere moment's glance however, before turning towards the source of the sound, just in time to see a squat, ragged looking man with messy ginger hair hurrying past them, a large box clutched in both hands. At the sight of him, Dora got abruptly to her feet and shout:

"OI! 'DUNG!"

The shifty looking wizard paused in his hurrying to glance around at them, a grimacing smile upon his lips as he gave a cough to clear his throat.

"Nice day, ain't it Tonks?" he greeted, grinning toothily in a way that rather reminded Carrie of Tom back at the Leaky Cauldron.

"Yeah, sure." Dora muttered impatiently, folding her arms firmly across her chest as she demanded to know: "What's in the box?"

The man let out a hurried cackling laugh, grip upon the box visibly tightening.

"Eh, Remus," he chuckled rather nervously. "Help a man out, won't you? Your wife, she's got it in for me, she has...always has done...no way to...to treat a fellow Order member, y'know?"

Dora let out an exasperated sigh, reaching to grab hold of Remus by the chin, turning his head so that the gash was visible to the man, who Carrie was struggling to identify as a fellow Order Member.

"Just tell us if it's poisonous." the witch suggested pointedly.

"How's young Ted, then?" Dung asked, eyes darting over to the youngest Lupin in an attempt to change the subject. "Who's this then? Got yourself a girlfriend, Ted?"

Carrie felt her cheeks flush pink at the suggestion, only for Dora to speak before Teddy had the chance.

"Come on, Mundungus! I just want to know whether or not Remus is about to drop dead or not!" the witch gave an exaggerated wink as she said: "Go on, help your fellow Order members out, won't you?"

Mundungus adjusted his grip upon his suspect cargo.

"Got yourself a charmer there, ain't you Remus?" he said, raising a filthy eyebrow before glancing up at nothing in particular and muttered: "Is that the time? Gosh, flies, don't it?" And with that, he turned on his heel and carried on up the street, twice the speed of before.

"Dumbledore would've been ASHAMED!" Dora shouted after him, and her words made the crook hunch his shoulders.

"Dumbledore would have expected no less." Remus murmured, turning his attention back to his ice cream. "Don't worry, I'll have it out of him before we leave."

Half an hour later, Carrie found herself stood waiting outside of Madam Malkin's whilst Teddy had his robes adjusted, and after five minutes of watching the witches and wizards of Britain bustling in and out of various shops with weird and wonderful window displays, the muggle was feeling a near irrepressible urge to wander off on her own. But of course Carrie was sure that going off without Teddy or one of his parents would not be the most sensible idea that she had ever come up with, no matter how inviting the shops of Diagon Alley were. She sighed heavily and leant back against the window frame of Madam Malkins, turning left and staring past the cobbled street to the vast pearly white giant that was Gringotts Bank, through whose doors she had watched Remus disappear through a short while earlier. Perhaps he wouldn't be very long, she thought hopefully, after all her parents never took long when visiting the muggle bank. Then Carrie might persuade him to take her to a few more of the most interesting shops, like Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes and Quality Quidditch Supplies.

She finally spotted him about five minutes later, descending the bank's steps at a swift pace, only to pause at the bottom to adjust the dark summer cloak around his shoulders. He glanced up the street towards Madam Malkin's, and Carrie waved excitedly at him. But then he reached to pull the hood up over his head, his face seemingly disappearing into shadow, before shoving his hands deep into his pockets and setting off up the street in the opposite direction.

Carrie stared after him for a long moment, frowning in confusion at the way that he seemingly shoved his way past a couple of grim faced, haggard looking wizards who were stood beside a sign upon the wall beside the entrance to a second, narrower street. Intrigued by the uncharacteristically shifty behavior and drawn by the realisation that there was a second street that she had never been down before, Carrie abandoned her waiting and set off down the street at a brisk walk, dodging witches and narrowly avoiding walking into wizards as she tried best to get free of the crowds and catch the werewolf up.

"Remus!" she shouted as she finally broke out of the main thronging crowd and paused at the entrance to the next street, glancing up at the sign that identified it as Knockturn Alley. "Wait for me!"

The buildings in Knockturn Alley seemed to be much older and taller than the ones back in the wide street of Diagon Alley, and as she hurried along past them it seemed to Carrie that their dirty, decaying bulks seemed to lean inwards, casting the grimy street in shadow, despite the bright sunshine of the sky above. A great number of the shops appeared to be boarded up or abandoned, and Carrie attempted not to dwell on just how unsettling the whole place was as she kept her eyes fixed ahead of her searchingly.

Black cloak, black cloak, black cloak...

As she slowed her pace in order to avoid walking straight into the back of a thin, grizzled old woman with a shock of tangled grey hair that appeared to reach her ankles, Carrie couldn't help but realise that black seemed to be the cloak choice of colour for the shoppers in Knockturn Alley...

In fact, the young muggle had absolutely no idea where Remus had gone.

Or even quite where she was, if truth be told...

Carrie came to a halt, eyes darting searchingly around her surroundings and as she observed a tall, burly looking man wearing a filthy set of brown robes and a crumpled looking top hat appeared to be staring at her from his position stood casually in a shop doorway, she wondered just what she had gotten herself into.

Maybe, she thought frantically as her heart began to pound in her chest, she might just shout Remus' name at the top of her lungs, and he might hear and come running...

She began to slowly turn on the spot, eying every person that she lay eyes upon, counting two dwarves, the man in the top hat, a squat wizard smoking a pipe and two witches who were whispering amongst themselves in a corner, and decided that shouting for Remus was not an option. In the eerie quiet of Knockturn Alley, shouting would only draw attention to herself.

Or more attention. The man in the doorway was still staring. So were the two witches, come to that...

Option Two, Carrie thought frantically as she stopped her pivoting and eyes a grimy shop display of what appeared to be shrunken heads in what she hoped was a vaguely interested and no horrifically alarmed manner, just turn around and walk back the way you came...

What way had she come, then?

She had managed to come to a halt in a little cobbled square, and there were two streets leading off of it, both looking identically ominous as far as Carrie was concerned. After all that turning she could not for the life of her remember which one led back to Diagon Alley...

Don't panic, Carrie, just...just don't panic...

Option Three, she thought desperately, jumping at the sound of movement behind her as somebody exited one of the shops, look for a friendly face...

A rather mad part of her wanted to laugh out loud at this suggestion, for she was pretty sure that whatever horrible and strange place that she had stumbled upon, there would be no friendly faces here. She was just musing grimly that the wizard with the pipe had paused in his smoking to stare at her too when somebody stumbled past her carrying a large cardboard box.

"Mundungus!" she squeaked, relief flooding over her at the sight of the crook, who paused to look round at her in a distinctly accusing manner. Carrie drew in a deep, hopeful breath as she asked: "Have...have you seen Remus, anywhere?"

"_Have you seen Remus, anywhere?_" the wizard mimicked, scowling at the question and shaking his head. "Seen him? Hmph! So much for comradeship!" he muttered moodily, turning on his heel and carrying on up the street.

"Is that a yes?" Carrie called after him desperately, but when he came to a halt again he did not turn to face her. Instead, his disapparated with a loud crack.

Carrie liked to think that at the age of fifteen she was much braver and less prone to tears than she had been during her previous run ins with the less savory aspects of the Wizarding World, but as she gazed despairingly at the spot where Mundungus had stood mere seconds previously, she couldn't help but feel an overwhelming urge to burst into tears.

The wizard in the doorway was distracted from his staring for a moment by the appearance of a man behind him inside the shop, and Carrie watched as he was handed a small cloth bag. He tipped his top hat to the dark figure inside the shop before straightening up and beginning a slow, loping walk across the square towards the muggle. But Carrie's attention was diverted by a sudden hand on her shoulder, and she spun around to find herself faced with the two wild-eyed witches who had been huddled in the corner.

"Looking for somebody, are you?" the taller of the two asked her as she stumbled backwards a step in surprise, and she could not help but notice that the shorter witch still had her hand on her shoulder as she asked:

"Did you get lost, dear?"

"Um..." Carrie opened and closer her mouth several times, attempting to splutter fierce denial, only for the claw-like hand to tighten upon her shoulder and the tall witch to suggest:

"Perhaps we could help you."

"Yes, why don't you come with us?" the other one asked, and at last Carrie managed to find her voice.

"No...no thank you!" she managed to say, and with that she took a large step backwards, wrenching herself free of the hand, only to feel her back collide with something and before she quite knew how, the muggle found herself sprawled upon the floor with a loud crash.

As the man in the top hat cursed under his breath and dropped down upon his haunches to gather up the array of metallic items that had just tumbled out of the bag he had been holding, Carrie scrambled into a sitting position, eye wide in horror at the three faces that were now looming over her.

"S...sorry..." she stammered as the wizard positively glowered at her, the two witches both taking a step forward. "I...I didn't mean to...I'm very sorry..."

"Stupid child." the wizard muttered as he scooped up the strange objects and shoved them back into the bag. "Somebody ought to teach brats like you to watch where they're going!"

"I'm sorry..." Carrie mumbled again, acutely aware that one of the witches appeared to be leaning down towards her, hand reaching for her shoulder again. "I...I um..."

A heavy hand clamped down upon her shoulder, and it was not until she had been yanked somewhat roughly to her feet that Carrie realised that it had not been the witch's, but somebody stood behind her. As she swayed a little and attempted to plant her feet more firmly upon the cobbles, Carrie felt a sudden rush of dizziness at the thought that she now appeared to be completely surrounded...


	4. Carrie's Vow

_Note: Thank you for the enthusiastic reviews! It was great to hear from you all! _

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor am I making any profit from this piece of writing._

**4: Carrie's Vow**

"Let her be, eh?" a deep voice suggested as the hand upon Carrie's shoulder tightened to the point of being painful, and with that the muggle found herself being pulled backwards away from the witches, before another hand grabbed her by the arm and turned her around to face her rescuer.

He was a tall, gangly man with dirty blonde hair and a thin, rat-like face, across which a deep, jagged scar ran from one temple to his jaw.

Most importantly, Carrie thought as she attempted to swallow the lump in her throat, he wasn't Remus.

Whoever he was, the teenager decided that there was little to do here but be polite and hope for the best. Surely there was a chance, albeit a small one, that this man was trustworthy, kind even, because surely not everybody in Knockturn Alley could be so horrible. If Remus could pay the ghastly place a visit, why not somebody else with good intentions too?

"Thanks for...for getting me away from those people." Carrie told the man, and he offered her a crooked smile, leaving her to struggle to identify him as friend or foe.  
"You're welcome, lass." he said, smile broadening to a grin, reaching to hook a hand under her elbow as he turned to lead her to the side of the street. "Now then, why don't you come with me?"

Carrie swallowed again.

I've heard that one before, she thought, but before she could plant her feet firmly upon the ground to bring them to a halt, she found herself yanked roughly forward, and before she could do little besides gasp she found herself pressed face first against a grimy brick wall. She was just about to reach to shove herself backwards and make a run in whatever direction she found herself facing first, when the man's hands caught her about the wrists, pinning them to her sides.

"Let go of me!" she cried as she tried with all her might to pull her arms free, only for his grip upon her to tighten as he said:

"Now then, there's no need to be silly! I just want a little favour, that's all..."

Somewhere behind them, a couple of the onlookers laughed at the hopeless struggle as Carrie attempted to kick her foot backwards at the man's legs. Her efforts only seemed to amuse him further as he too chuckled and said:

"I only want a peek at that pretty piece o' silver you got there, that's all."

"I...I don't know what you're talking about." Carrie managed to tell him, not daring to so much as glance searchingly down at herself as she felt hot tears begin to prickle at her eyes.

"Oh really?" the man hissed into her ear. "What's this, then?"

For a moment Carrie was about to draw breath to mumble ignorance again, but then she felt his hand reaching to grasp at the hem of her dress...

"Don't move."

The hand froze.

Carrie froze too. Her heart continued to pound in her chest for a long moment before she heard the same voice instruct:

"Let go."

As Carrie let out a enormous sigh of relief at the sound of Remus' voice, barely resisting the urge to attempt to spin around to face him, her sudden euphoria was disturbed by her captive giving a snort and muttering:

"Not likely, mate. Not until she hands over the goods."

"I see." Remus said, as Carrie tried to get a glimpse of him out of the corner of her eye. "What sort of goods are we talking about, I wonder?"

"None of your business." the man grunted, leading the werewolf to conclude:

"Must be something valuable, then."

"I don't know what he's talking about, Remus!" Carrie cried, attempting to pull one arm free again as she tried to explain: "I just...I was just walking along and...and then..."

"Duel you for it." Remus offered conversationally, and Carrie was instantly stunned.

"What?" she managed to splutter, but the two wizards didn't seem to be listening.

"I'd kick your arse!" the blonde haired man scoffed.

"I'd like to see you try." was the instant response.

Carrie found herself abruptly released, and she spun around to find the two wizards stood, staring at each other intently, as if she were entirely invisible.

"Looks like somebody already did it for me." the man observed, gesturing to the gash upon Remus' forehead, and Teddy's father shrugged in an uncharacteristically sloppy manner.

"Mundungus Fletcher's a tricky bastard." the werewolf said, and Carrie had never seen him grin so crookedly.

"Ha!" the man cried, clapping his hands together in amusement, the confrontational edge seemingly evaporating from his voice. "You know 'Dung, eh?"

"Oh yes, we go way back."

"I've known him since forever, I reckon. You've seen his latest uh...collection, then?"

"Mmm...he tried to sell me one as a family pet, just now..."

"Ha! You've got to be kidding!"

"I know."

As the conversation went on in a bizarrely friendly fashion, Carrie at last dared a glance down at herself.

And that was when she found it, caught upon the skirt of her dress by it's chain, an odd yet delicate little contraption made of highly polished silvery metal. Carrie immediately reached to grasp hold of the strange, spindly object , pulling it free of the material and reaching to shove it into her bag. She was just about to turn her attention back to the wizards, who appeared to be having a jolly good laugh at some joke or other, when Remus announced:

"Well then, we should probably be going...wife's waiting, there'll be hell to pay, you know."

"Bloody women!" the man chuckled, reaching to clamp an amiable hand down upon the werewolf's shoulder as Remus stepped past him.

"Exactly." he said, and with that Carrie found herself being grasped firmly by the arm yet again, "Nice to meet you, then. Let's go, Carrie."

And then, to Carrie's astonishment, she found herself being led briskly off up the street, and the man behind them called:

"See you around!"

Remus had managed to march the teenager a sizable distance before the man's brain caught up with him and his voice suddenly bellowed:

"Wait a second...what...OI! BRING HER BACK!"

"Run." Remus muttered, and Carrie had barely drawn breath to reply before she found her arm being yanked forwards and the two of them broke out into a run as they rounded the corner, only slowing down when the brightness of Diagon Alley broke through the dim shadows and they stumbled out onto the main street. As they paused for breath outside of a second hand book shop, Remus rounded on the girl, expression suddenly stern.

"Don't ever, EVER, get yourself into that sort of trouble ever again." he told her, reaching to shove his wand back into the pocket of his robes as he added: "Or me, for that matter!" he shook his head, reaching to rake a relieved hand through his hair as she mumbled:

"Sorry, I just...well I saw you go down there, so I just...well...followed..."

"Sweet Merlin, Carrie! It's _Knockturn Alley_! You don't follow me down Knockturn Alley...you don't go within a mile of the place if you can help it!"

"Sorry...I didn't know."

Remus looked as though he wanted to berate her further, but instead he drew in a deep, calming breath and explained:

"It's a very dangerous place, you mustn't ever go there."

"Why would you go down there, then?" Carrie wanted to know, but he simply shook his head, turning to lead the way back towards Madam Malkin's. As she hurried to keep up with him, the muggle instead wondered: "How did you know that man wasn't going to curse you?"

"I didn't." came the blunt response, and Carrie bit her lip, ducking her head a little as they reached the shop and he pushed the door open, a tinkling bell announcing their arrival.

Carrie shuffled through the door after him to find Dora stood eying a display of summer dress robes absentmindedly as Teddy stood near the back of the stop, his arms spread wide as a witch fussed over the sleeves of his dark blue robes.

"I'm not going to die." Remus announced in greeting, and his wife turned to offer him a raised eyebrow.

"Well that's lucky," she said with a grin. "There's no way I'm going to persuade Ted to wear those on my own."

"You're being quite ridiculous, dear!" Madam Malkin announced to the youngest Lupin as she stepped back and gestured for him to step down from his pedestal. "They look splendid!"

"They're uncomfortable." Teddy grumbled as he stepped down, but Dora ignored him.

"Let's see you, then!" she called, and her son shuffled forwards, expression distinctly sulky.

"They look much better." Remus observed, much to Teddy's irritation, and when the boy shot her a pleading look for support, Carrie looked him up and down, only to conclude:

"You look very handsome, Ted." When he looked disbelieving, she insisted: "Really, you do."

The boy glanced self consciously down at his feet for a moment, mumbling:

"Thanks, Carrie."

When Carrie took a turn at eying her own shoes, cheeks tinged pink, there was a long silence before she heard Dora murmur:

"Interesting..."

Carrie turned to look at her in an attempt to find out what she was referring to, but the witch merely smiled at her and asked:

"Been having fun then, Carrie love?"

"She's been having all sorts of fun." Remus said before Carrie could reply for herself. "She went for a stroll down Knockturn Alley and made a friend or two..."

"She what?" Dora cried, eyes widening in alarm, only for Teddy to exclaim:

"Cool! What was it like, Carrie? I've never been..."

"It'll stay that bloody way too!" his mother snapped, shooting him a warning look as Madam Malkin eyed Carrie with wide, horrified eyes. "Knockturn Alley! For the love of Merlin!"

"She's alright, I spotted her just in time." Remus said as the muggle went back to staring at her shoes. "It was a close call, mind you."

"What happened?" Teddy wanted to know, half skipped across the room in excitement, ignoring the disapproving look that Dora shot at him again.

"Nothing exciting." Remus decided, and when he found this an unsatisfactory answer Teddy rounded on Carrie instead. At his broad, excited grin, Carrie was momentarily distracted from her shame and she announced:

"There was a man, he grabbed me, and then Remus challenged him to a duel..."

"He did WHAT?"

Remus pursed his lips together in irritation as his wife rounded on him, incredulous eyes not leaving him even when Teddy cried:

"Wow! Did you kick his arse, Dad?"

"No, Theodore," the werewolf replied wearily. "I didn't _kick his arse_."

"Then...then he kicked YOUR arse, then?"

"Language, Ted!" Dora snapped distractedly, before she demanded Remus tell her: "What were you THINKING?"

"What else was I supposed to do?" the werewolf asked with a shrug. "That's what they do down there, isn't it? That's...their language..."

"Well that would've been great, wouldn't it? The Deputy Head of Aurors' husband getting arrested for disorderly behavior in public..."

"I know, but...let's be honest, darling, if that had happened you would have been the first one to laugh yourself silly about it..."

"Shut up, I'm trying to set a good example."

"I had no intention of actually getting into a fight, I was just stalling. We chatted about Mundungus' taste in pets, of all things, then we said goodbye and Carrie and I did a runner before he could figure out he'd been had."

"Unbelievable." Dora muttered, shaking her head, but Carrie could have sworn she saw the witch's lips twitching towards a smile. "Go and get changed, Ted." she instructed, reaching into her pocket to draw out her purse and turning to stride over towards the shop counter. "How much do I owe you, Madam Malkin?"

After one last trip into Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, they all finally headed back home, where Teddy and Carrie retreated upstairs to Teddy's bedroom to go through their loot. Carrie was particularly fascinated by the Extendable Ears, and whilst Teddy examined his new fanged frisbee and the Fainting Fancies that he had bought for his friend Joshua's birthday, she went in search of an opportunity to try them out. Spotting Teddy's parents out on the patio below, she carefully opened Teddy's bedroom window and, biting her lip in concentration, slowly lowered the Ear downwards towards the pair. She dared not lower it too much, for she was sure that Remus would spot the fleshy contraption should he glance upwards too far, but as she stooped to listen she discovered that she could hear the werewolf's voice clear as day as Dora set a glassful of amber liquid down upon the table before him.

"I hope that's a double." Remus said, offering his wife a small smile of thanks, only for the pink haired witch to tell him:

"Bit early in the day, I'm afraid."

"Ah well." he murmured, reaching for the tumbler and taking a large sip. As he set the glass back down again, Dora dropped down into the chair opposite him and reached across the table to trap his hands under hers, pinning them to the table.

"Remus?" she said, voice so deadly serious that Carrie felt her heart give a small lurch. "I need to tell you something. It's very important."

"Something wrong?" Remus asked, leaning forward a little in his chair, and Carrie's eyes widened when the Auror announced:

"I've been giving things some serious thought, and I've decided that I don't think we can do this on our own anymore. Remus...I think we need to recall the Order of the Phoenix."

"Really?" the werewolf said, voice dropping to an equally serious tone. "Do you...do you think that's necessary?"

"Oh yes." Dora said, leaning forwards until there were precious few inches between them. "I think it is absolutely necessary."

Remus exhaled a sharp breath.

"I had no idea that it would come to that."

"I know, it's a desperate measure, but I don't think we have a choice. We've another clueless teenager in need of protection from mortal peril."

"What sort of mortal peril?"

Carrie could have sworn that the couple's foreheads were pressed together as Dora solemnly announced:

"The worst kind there is, Remus. Worse even than Voldemort!"

"Surely not!"

"Oh yes, love, worse by far! Carrie needs protecting from herself!"

And with that, the Auror dissolved into giggles, only for Remus to sit abruptly back in his chair.

"You're wicked." he informed the witch disapprovingly, but Carrie was sure that he was smiling. When Dora failed to stop laughing he pulled his hands from her grasp and folded his arms across his chest, telling her: "And really it isn't very funny!"

"Why are you grinning then?" Dora wanted to know, rising to her feet and reaching to retrieve the glass of whiskey. She took a generous gulp, only for him to complain:

"Don't drink it all, I need it."

She sniggered into the glass, narrowly avoiding choking as she observed:

"I suppose you do, nasty shock like that! What was she up to down there, anyway?"

Remus reached to run a weary hand across his eyes, shaking his head.

"Merlin knows...but I very nearly didn't spot her. He had her up against a wall, you know."

Dora sobered suddenly, reaching with one hand to set down the glass as she stepped around the table, coming to stand behind his chair, hands coming to rest upon his shoulders.

"What d'you reckon he wanted with her?"

"He said he wanted her to...hand over some goods or...or something...I don't know."

"Shit!" the Auror exclaimed, grip upon his shoulders tightening suddenly. "You don't think...you don't think...you know...he meant...goods...like...you know, do you?"

"Fifteen..." Remus mused grimly, much to Carrie's bemusement. "She's...getting to look grown up. He...he had hold of...of her skirt..."

"Shit!" Dora muttered again, forehead coming to rest against the top of his head as she complained: "Why did you let me joke about it? I feel awful, now!"

"Don't fuss over it, Dora. You'll just upset yourself. It's all over now, I left the shop in time, I saw her, nothing bad happened, no harm done..."

"That girl...!" Dora complained, reaching to drape her arms around him with a heavy sigh. "What are we going to do with her? You know I thought...I thought after what happened that year she'd...well..."

"Grow up?"

"Exactly."

"She will do, given time."

"Come on, Remus, she's fifteen now! She's not a little girl anymore! She can't just...just be so thoughtless! It's like she has absolutely no concept of consequences at all!"

"Give her time..."

"I've given her two near death experiences and the four entire years since we met her! And I swear, Remus, she may look a bit older, but she's still the same!"

Carrie heard the two of them heave equally heavy sighs, the wizard reaching to pat the witch comfortingly upon the arm, and for a long while there was silence as Dora's chin came to rest atop his head, a small frown of thought upon her brow, until eventually she said:

"You say you left the shop on time?"

"Mm."

The pink haired witch straightened up and took a step around the chair until she was stood beside her husband, folding her arms firmly across her chest as she attempted to clarify:

"You went shopping in Knockturn Alley?"

There was a sizable pause as Remus considered this question, shifting his feet rather awkwardly before he decided:

"In a manner of speaking, yes."

"I thought you went looking for Dung!" Dora told him, tone distinctly accusing, and he offered her a shrug that Carrie couldn't help but feel was a rather bad move.

"I did, I found him..."

"And then you went shopping?"

"Well...sort of..."

"Yes or no, Remus?" his wife demanded to know, and even in the bright sunshine of the back garden Carrie was sure that her hair seemed to darken a shade or two.

"I was just looking...in a way."

"In a way? What the bloody hell is that supposed to mean? What were you in a way looking at, I wonder?"

There was deadly silence as Remus slumped back in his chair, seemingly resigned to the coming conversation, and Dora reached to rake a equally resigned hand through her hair, free hand coming to cover her mouth. For a peaceful moment, Carrie could hear nothing beside the chirping of the birds outside and, back in Teddy's room behind her, her friend shuffling a pack of joke playing cards whilst he hummed the latest Weird Sisters' hit.

But then, a third Wizarding War of a distinctly verbal kind broke out in the garden below.

"You've gone behind my back, haven't you?" Dora exclaimed, hands falling back to her sides and balling into furious fists. "You've gone behind my bloody back and...and...WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?"

"In what way is going into a shop going behind your back?"

"We've discussed this! You know it upsets me! But you've gone and bloody done it anyway!"

"We discussed it and concluded that we needed to find a cheaper apothecary..."

"Not THAT cheap! What's wrong with you? Have you got a death wish?"

"If it'd give me peace, maybe..."

Carrie pulled the Extendable Ear free from her ear as Teddy appeared beside her, the argument had grown loud enough that the Ear's effects were making her ear ache.

"Oh great..." the turquoise haired boy muttered, scowling down at his parents' display. "Half the neighborhood's going to hear them!"

"Maybe they'll take it indoors." Carrie suggested hopefully, only for both teenagers to flinch at Dora's voice growing even louder as she cried:

"YOU BOUGHT SOME?"

"I just thought," Remus explained, thankfully very calmly, "we could...compare it with the usual one. Maybe it's not that bad..."

"Where is it?"

"You're being hysterical now, just...calm down. It's not like I drank any of it yet..."

"Where IS it?"

"Don't just shake your head..." Teddy hissed, only to sigh heavily when Remus did exactly that, and Dora immediately reached to snatch her wand out from her pocket. For a horrified moment, Carrie thought Remus was about to get hexed, but instead the witch gave her wand a furious swipe through the air and, after a moment, the teenager spotted a small brown paper bag whizzing out of the back door and across the patio. As the witch caught hold of it in one hand, pocketing her wand with the other, the werewolf leaned head head upon his hand and stared up at her, free hand hanging limp towards the stone ground beneath him.

Tearing the paper bag in her fumbling attempts to extract the offending potion, Dora examined the murky substance with purse lips for a long moment, reaching to swipe a few tears away from her eyes upon her sleeve.

"I don't think it looks a lot different. In colour, I mean." Remus told her, as if she had already consented to his plan. "Do you think we could send it off to be checked? That way, if it's okay, we can just buy it again next month, if it's the same every month..."

CRASH!

Once again, silence descended upon the garden like a lead balloon. Carrie bit her lip worriedly as down on the patio, both Remus and Dora stared down at the remains of the potion that the latter had just flung at the ground. As he watched the potion seep into the cracks, Remus pursed his lips together so tightly that Carrie thought they might disappear from his face entirely. At last he looked up to meet his wife's gaze, offering her a raised eyebrow.

"And you're concerned about _Carrie_ being immature?" the wizard finally observed, and back up by the window, Carrie felt Teddy suck in a sharp breath in anticipation.

Dora reached to press her fingers into her eyelids with a sniff, attempting to calm herself down and failing miserably when she informed her husband in a voice an octave higher than usual:

"I don't give a shit, Remus, if you think I'm going to let you spend my hard-earned gold on poison for yourself then you're more than sadly mistaken."

And then, both she and the two spectators flinched.

Remus' eyes widened in surprise at the statement, and his gaze immediately dropped to his lap, hands reaching to grasp hold of the arms of the plastic chair that he was sat upon. After what seemed like a decade to Carrie, he opened his mouth as if to say something, only to firmly close it again.

Dora stood before him, wringing her hands together in a guilty fashion, shoulders rising and falling rapidly as panic began to descend upon her, before she reached forward to grab hold of her husband by the arm.

"I...I didn't mean it...like...like that." Carrie could just about hear her insisting hurriedly, voice reduced to a hurried garble. "You know I didn't, what I meant was...well...well I just meant that...I...I don't want anything bad to happen to you, Sweetheart, I really, really don't! And I...I just think...I just think we shouldn't spend our money on...on that...our money...it's...it's ours, you know, because...because well I...I really couldn't manage without you and...and...it's ours..."

Teddy turned his back on the scene, reaching to bury his face in his hands with a heavy sigh, and Carrie too reached to clamp a hand across her mouth as below the mumbling began to get more desperate.

"Don't...don't shake your head like that! Please don't, love, I...I didn't mean to say...I...I know you don't believe me, but it's true! And...and even if it wasn't...well...well I don't...I don't care! I really don't care! I...I love you and...and I'll bloody pay to keep you if I have to because...because I love you more than anything and I could never stand it if...if you weren't here..."

At last, Remus rose from his chair, carefully stepping around the smashed potion bottle so that he could reach to lay his hands upon the witch's shoulders, leaning to press a firm kiss to her forehead.

"I've got to go out." Carrie heard him murmur, reaching to flatten a stray strand of his wife's wayward hair. He made to step away again, only for her to fling her arms around him, hugging him fiercely.

"Don't go, please don't..."

"I've really got to..."

"Well...when are you coming back? You _are_ coming back, aren't you?"

"Sweet Merlin, Dora..."

"Promise you are? Promise...promise I'm not the worst wife ever and you don't want to divorce me!"

He reached to pull her arms from around him with a rather strained chuckle as he told her:

"I love you. Don't wait up for me, will you?"

And with that, he turned and disappeared inside the house. A moment later, Carrie heard the front door being pulled shut.

"Gosh..." Carrie mumbled as she went to perch upon the edge of Teddy's bed. "I hope they're going to be alright."

"Dad's probably gone for a very long walk." Teddy muttered, sounding distinctly troubled at the notion. "I expect he'll be home by tomorrow."

Carrie's eyes roamed around the room in search of a change of subject, until her eyes came to rest upon the bag that she had abandoned upon the floor. She reached to pick it up.

"Guess what, Ted?" she said, reaching into the bag and feeling around for the unusual object that she had dropped in there some hours earlier. "I found something, in Knockturn Alley."

Teddy paused in his frowning at the opposite wall before coming to stand before her.

"What did you find?" he asked, immediately curios, and at last Carrie felt the cool links of the object's chain and reached to lift it out of the bag, winding the chain around her hand so as to ensure she did not drop the object as she hold it aloft in triumph.

"Isn't it pretty?" she said, as Teddy's eyes widened to the size of snitches. "I don't know what it is, but look, it's all glittery, especially if you give it a spin like this..."

"CARRIE NO!" Teddy immediately shouted, much to the muggle's alarm, and he was just reaching to grab hold of the chain upon which the object was twirling when all of a sudden the bedroom around them seemed to shift and blur, and Carrie gasped and screwed her eyes shut in alarm, willing the immediate sickening swimming sensation to end. She felt something tug upon the chain, only for a metallic click to sound, and Carrie snapped her eyes wide open again, staring up at her best friend with wide, alarmed eyes.

And before her, Teddy stood, one half of the snapped chain held in one hand, the room around him at last in focus again.

Except it all looked wrong, Carrie realised as she slowly gazed around the bedroom with it's flowery pink wallpaper and it's stuffed toys littering the floor.

No, the muggle thought as Teddy too stared around them with his mouth gaping wide in horror. It didn't look like Teddy's bedroom at all...

Carrie couldn't help but feel that she had just gotten herself and Teddy into big trouble of one kind or another, though she wasn't entirely sure what sort of trouble it was.

She did know one thing, though, she mused as Teddy's gaze came to rest upon the snapped chain in his hand with an audible gulp. Dora was right, it was about time she grew up.

From now on, the muggle told herself sternly as she got shakily to her feet, reaching to grasp hold of Teddy by the arm. I am going to be grown up, and be responsible. I swear it.

As she wandered into her kitchen to pour herself a tall glass of water, still swiping tears away from her eyes a minute or so later, Dora had no idea that she herself would soon decide that she had been entirely wrong.

Indeed, both Dora and Remus Lupin would soon grieve the day that Carrie Winters vowed to grow up and become responsible.


	5. 1979

_Note: I would like to point out that I have no idea what the precise date and year was that I left school, let alone the precise date and year that Remus finished Hogwarts! According to the Harry Potter Wikia (or whatever other source I was looking at, I don't really remember which it was...) the Marauders started Hogwarts in 1970, which means, according to my abnormally bad mathematics skills, they would have finished in June 1979. Apparently the school year at Hogwarts ends at some time during the third week of June, and so I have picked a random date off a 1979 calendar..._

_In other words, I could be terribly wrong, but I don't think it really matters..._

_Disclaimer; I do not own Harry Potter, nor am I making any profit from this piece of writing. _

**5: 1979**

Carrie Winters reached to grasp the window sill behind her for support as she stared at Teddy Lupin with wide, horrified eyes.

"That...that's a...a TIME TURNER?" she cried in panic, and the young wizard reached to grab hold of her by the arm as he hissed;

"Shhh! Somebody might hear us!"

"We've...we've...gone back in time?"

"Yes!" Teddy told her for what felt like the hundredth time. "You put the chain around your neck...or in your case wrist, you spin the time turner and it takes you to a different time, the more you spin it the further forwards or backwards you go. Like Harry and Hermione did in their third year at Hogwarts...remember?"

The increasingly agitated expression upon the muggle's face confirmed that yes, she absolutely did remember. Teddy waited for his hurried explanation to sink in, and after a few minutes it appeared to have done so for Carrie whispered:

"Well...well what are we supposed to do? Can't we...can't we just...go back?"

Teddy held the broken chain up for her inspection as he mumbled:

"Not really, no..."

"Oh god..." Carrie turned abruptly to stare helplessly out of the window, noticing that the tree that usually stood at the bottom of the Lupins' garden was nowhere to be seen. "This is...this is just..."

"Cool?" Teddy tried, and she spun back round to offer him a furious look.

"No!" she cried, voice raised a little louder than she supposed was wise. "No, Ted! It's not COOL! It's bad! Very, very bad!"

"Well of course I know it's bad," Teddy said, sounding a little sulky. "Obviously it's bad, but it's still sort of cool, don't you think? I mean...we're...in a different time!"

For a moment Carrie very nearly let out a squeal of excitement to admit that yes, she did think it was all rather exciting, but then she remembered the conversation that Remus and Dora had just had in the garden...or was it a conversation they were going to have at some point in the future? She wasn't sure...and she forced her expression to remain serious.

"That's all very exciting and interesting, Teddy," she said, folding her arms firmly across her chest. "But this is serious. We need to be...mature." she gave her head a firm nod in an attempt to squash any childish impulses that were threatening to surface, and was relieved when Teddy too gave a somewhat sombre nod. The young wizard reached to pocket the broken chain before straightening up into a pose that rather reminded the muggle of the one Superman usually struck when arriving at the scene of a great calamity. She wanted to snigger, so she bit her tongue.

"We need a PLAN." Teddy announced dramatically, nodding his head once again. "We need to work out how we're going to get home."

"Yes," Carrie agreed, straightening up too because she felt a little too casual leaning against the wall in such a dire situation. "And we have to be careful not to do anything wrong like...like we mustn't squash any bugs, or anything."

"Squash...bugs?" Teddy repeated, obviously bemused, and the girl rolled her eyes impatiently at him.

"Yes Ted! Don't squash any bugs or...or trip over somebody's cat and break it's spine or something! Nothing like that!"

There was a short, uncomprehending silence.

"You're mental." Teddy observed, much to her irritation and she threw up her hands in annoyance and cried:

"No I'm not! If you do that sort of stuff in the past you can ruin the future! I saw it on The Simpsons!"

"What's The Simpsons?"

"Teddy...!"

"Okay, okay. You're right...sort of. We mustn't do anything to change the future. And we mustn't tell anybody that we're from the future, either. That could get awkward." Having set out these few ground rules, Teddy seemed to get into his stride and he turned to look around the room searchingly, until his eyes came to rest upon the wall beside the door upon which, Carrie saw, was hung a lurid pink calendar, the days of the month marked off with a series of marker-penned love hearts.

"First things first," Teddy announced, striding purposefully over towards the paper monstrosity, "let's find out what the date is."

Upon closer inspection, the two teenagers discovered that they had managed to send themselves back to the year 1979.

To be more precise, it was the 15th June 1979.

Teddy stared thoughtfully at the calendar for a long moment, pausing to count something on his fingers before he drew in a deep, excited breath and declared:

"Hey, this is the year that Dad..."

"Hello...?"

At the sound of a woman's voice calling from downstairs, the two teenagers both froze, heads snapping to stare at one another in horror.

"That's not your mum."

"Obviously not, Carrie, it's 1979! Today's Dad's last day at Hogwarts and Mum's probably still in nappies...!"

"Hello?" the distinctly nervous voice called again, making the pair of intruders jump. "Is...is there...is there somebody up there?"

"This isn't good..." Carrie hissed as Teddy took a cautious step towards the door, and the wizard was about to open his mouth and mumble his agreement when the woman's voice announced:

"I know somebody's up there! I...I heard you! And I'm warning you now, I...I'm going to call the police!"

"Oh great..." Teddy muttered, reaching to tug worriedly at his mop of turquoise hair, and Carrie told him:

"We have to get out of here!"

"Yeah...right..." Teddy agreed hesitantly, and there was a brief pause before Carrie suddenly found her hand snatched up in his and he reached to pull the door wide open.

"What are we going to do?" she whispered urgently as she found herself pulled out onto the landing, alarmed when Teddy simply made a run for the stairs.

"We're just going to...run!" Teddy called over his shoulder, and before she could protest or indeed think much more than what an alarming shade of green the landing wallpaper was, Carrie found herself stumbling to a halt at the bottom of the stairs, and an audible gasp drew her attention to the living room doorway.

A small, dumpy woman with greying dark hair, wearing a chunky cable knit cardigan was stood, eyes wide in horror as she stared at the two strangers, and as Carrie felt her heart hammer in her chest in panic, the woman's mouth slowly fell open.

"Um...hi..." Teddy greeted uncertainly, reaching to scratch the back of his neck awkwardly.

Apparently this was far too much for the woman to bear, she drew in a deep breath, causing Teddy to flinch in anticipation, and with that, she let out an ear-piercing scream.

"Just...go!" Carrie cried, and with that Teddy shot the woman an apologetic glance before running for the front door, still clutching hold of Carrie by the hand.

They did not stop running until they had reached the little green around the corner, whose tree and home made swing that Carrie recalled so fondly had been replaced by a worn wooden bench that the duo sunk down upon, both breathing raggedly.

"That was...crazy!" Carrie observed as Teddy leant forward, attempting to catch his breath.

"You can say that again!" he agreed, and there was silence for a moment until he straightened up, eyes coming to rest upon their entwined fingers.

Carrie pulled her hand free and reached to straighten the skirt of her dress, embarrassed that she had not done so earlier. It was strange, she mused, that she ought feel embarrassed by Teddy holding her hand. After all, he had done so on many occasions over the years and she had never thought anything of it.

Not that she thought anything of it now, she told herself as he slumped back in his chair, gaze upon the clouds above them, It was just that...well...

_It's because the only friends who hold hands at your age are the ones who aren't...friends..._

But of course that was silly. She and Teddy weren't like that, obviously. They were...different...

"So..." she said hurriedly, banishing the subject from her mind. "What are we going to do now?"

Teddy eyed the houses opposite them in consideration.

"We need help." he told her, reaching to sweep the hair from his eyes with a distinctly troubled expression upon his face. "The time turner...I think we've broken it. We need somebody to help us fix it, otherwise we'll never get home."

"Well we're not going to find any help round here." Carrie observed as they watched a elderly muggle man round the corner, shuffling along with a small terrier dog trotting along beside him. "We should go to...to London, or something. You know, we could go to Diagon Alley or somewhere with loads of witches and wizards."

"Good idea." Teddy said, and with that he got swiftly to his feet, turning to offer her an expectant look when she simply stared at him.

"But how are we supposed to get there?" she asked, offering him a raised eyebrow. "I left my bag back in your bedroom, we've no money for train tickets."

At this question, Teddy looked distinctly smug as he reached into the back pocket of his jeans and a moment later, Carrie found a magic wand being thrust triumphantly under her nose.

"I thought you're not allowed to do magic outside of school." the muggle said, though she felt a burst of excitement nevertheless, for she had never seen Teddy perform any magic, save that which altered his appearance.

"I'm not." Teddy agreed, twirling the wand smugly around his fingers, only to narrowly avoid dropping it to the floor. His expression became a little abashed when she sniggered at him.

"What are you doing wandering around with that in your back pocket, then?" she asked, stifling her amusement, and the young wizard shrugged.

"Force of habit." he said with a grin. "Besides, you never know when your crazy muggle best friend is going to break a time turner and get you stranded in the year 1979. It's important to always be prepared!"

"Constant Vigilance!" Carrie declared, snapping a mock-salute and stamping a foot, mimicking one of Dora's favorite exclamations that she liked to unexpectedly shout in Remus' ear whilst he was drinking coffee, usually resulting in him choking on the liquid and spitting it out over his morning newspaper.

"Precisely!" Teddy agreed, watching her launch herself enthusiastically up onto her feet, and with that he turned to lead the way back towards the side of the road.

Carrie had taken a good few steps before she came to a halt, stomach suddenly clenched in apprehension.

"Um...Ted?"

The young wizard paused in his determined striding to offer her a questioning look over her shoulder.

"Um...d'you...d'you know how to apparate? Properly, I mean, without...you know...?"

She couldn't say the word, she hadn't said it for years, it made her shudder, cringe, the mere thought made her stomach clench and churn and she could think of nothing but terrible shrieking and blood and tears. It had been just over three years since The Incident, three years since Dora had lost the baby, three years since she had apparated Carrie out of the muggle's bedroom and onto the driveway out of harm's way, where she had promptly collapsed upon the gravel, shrieking and sobbing having splinched the umbilical cord. Even now, Carrie suffered nightmares, sometimes she thought the sight of Remus dragging his wife through their front door and up the hallway was burnt into her eyelids.

It was an ugly word, splinched. The first time she had ever heard it, the true meaning of it hadn't really sunk in. It had been the day that Teddy had revealed to her the existence of magic and everything had been a bit of a blur. Teddy had mentioned an incident some years previously, when Remus had, against his better judgment, attempted to apparate mere hours after the full moon. Carrie couldn't even remember the details, only that Teddy claimed there had been a lot of blood that time too. A lot of blood hadn't meant much to her back then, it had made her shudder a little, that was all. She wished that was still true now.

She had experienced apparation on many occasions since The Incident, and she was no longer afraid of the sensation.

Not when it was Remus or Dora doing the apparating, that was.

But she had no idea how good at this particular magic trick Teddy was. And she distinctly remembered having been told on several occasions from a variety of magical people that it was a tricky thing to master.

Her confidence was not bolstered by Teddy's cheery announcement that he had never attempted to apparate in his life. Only the sentence that followed managed to squash her unease.

"I wouldn't even know where to start!" the wizard told her with a chuckle. "I'm not allowed to learn yet, you see. I'm not old enough."

"So...we're not apparating?" Carrie attempted to clarify, holding her breath despite herself.

"Of course we're not." Teddy said cheerfully, turning and striding over to the roadside. "We're going to take the bus."

"The bus...?" Carrie repeated in bemused disbelief, only for the boy to stick his arm out into the road, as if flagging down the vehicle in question that was, as far as Carrie was aware, nowhere to be seen...

And then an enormous blur of purple seemingly materialized at the street corner, zooming up the road towards them at such an alarming rate that Carrie made to jump backwards in alarm. It was not until she heard the screech of brakes and the blaring sound of a horn that the muggle blinked a couple of times and realised that Teddy had been telling the truth.

Because parked somewhat haphazardly against the curb in front of her was a large triple-decker bus, painted the most lurid shade of purple that Carrie had ever seen. It's many windows – and there did seem to be quite a few more than ought fit on a vehicle that size – were decorated with lacy net curtains and Carrie couldn't help but notice the brightly coloured sparks that seemed to be spitting out of the bus' exhaust pipe.

"The Knight Bus." Teddy clarified with a grin, only to turn his attention to the man who was stepping out of the bus and onto the pavement. He was a small, stooped man dressed in a faded conductor's uniform and the sight made Carrie smile. She had never been on a bus with a conductor before, it made the fact that she and Teddy were in a different time begin to actually sink in.

"We'd like to go to Diagon Alley, please." Teddy told the man, who grunted something and tipped his hat, before ushering the two teenagers aboard.

It turned out that Carrie had never been on any sort of bus even remotely similar to the Knight Bus in her whole entire life.

"Are those...beds?" the muggle whispered into Teddy's ear as he led the way up the aisle, and despite the exasperated look that he offered her over his shoulder she couldn't help but think that it wasn't really the most stupid question that she had ever asked.

Because really, who had beds on a bus?

As they passed a large brass bedstead complete with feather pillows and a patchwork quilt, in which a elderly man wearing a floppy hat was snoring softly, Carrie's attention was diverted by a soft tinkling sound, and she glanced upwards searchingly to find herself looking at a large glass chandler. The whole ridiculous scene made her feel a little indigent about all the times over the years Teddy had told her that he thought muggles were strange. One glance at the Knight Bus and it became startling clear who were the strange ones here...

"Hold on tight then." the conductor grunted, and before Carrie could think to grab onto anything the bus gave a great jolt forwards, throwing her forwards so violently that she very nearly fell flat on her face. Teddy, who already had firm hold of a bed knob, flung an arm out to catch her and she stumbled sideways into him, reaching to grasp hold of the front of his t shirt.

"Careful." he muttered, grinning broadly, and she offered him a mock-scowl as the conductor came to a stop just behind them.

"Off to do some shopping, are you?" he asked conversationally as he leant back against a bed and set about tearing off a pair of tickets to offer them. "That'll be eleven sickles each."

There was a long pause as Teddy eyed the tickets with pursed lips before he finally mumbled:

"Ah..."

Carrie shuffled back from him and reached to grab hold of a bedstead, observing worriedly the way he patted his pockets searchingly before hopefully asking:

"Do you do I.?"

"I...?" the conductor repeated, as if speaking a foreign language and Teddy straightened up a little and nodded enthusiastically.

"Yeah, I.. I mean...this is a service for stranded witches and wizards, right? Surely...surely if they're stranded they don't all have money on them?"

The conductor sighed in distinct disapproval, but Carrie was quick to jump in, reaching to hug Teddy's arm to her, dipping her head as she looked up at the man with the most pleading look that she could muster.

"Please!" she begged, pausing to give an exaggerated sniff. "We're...we're off to visit our mother! She's...she's very sick!"

Teddy looked momentarily baffled before reaching to fling an arm around his newly declared sister's shoulders and informed the man in a deadly serious tone:

"She has Dragon Pox!"

At the mention of a hideous disease, the conductor shuffled back a step, expression softening as a voice from somewhere at the front of the bus called:

"Go on, Den. Let 'em, the poor buggers."

"Alright then," Den agreed, reaching into his pocket for a pen so that he could scribble a note on his little notebook. "Surname?"

"Lupin." Teddy said without thinking, only for Carrie to elbow him sharply in the ribs.

"Lu-pin." Den mumbled as he scrawled, before glancing up to inquire: "First name?"

"Remus." Teddy decided, and Carrie had barely noticed the conductor's eyes widening to the size of snitches before the drive slammed his foot down on the brakes and she found herself flung backwards and onto the floor. As the bus came to an abrupt halt and Carrie reached to clamp a hand to her head which throbbed painfully from her fall, the conductor's voice sternly announced:

"OUT."

"What?" Carrie heard Teddy ask in confusion as he reached to grab her by the elbow and haul her back onto her feet.

"You heard! Get off this bus right now! You ain't welcome here!"

As she reached to tug awkwardly at her dress, Carrie glanced sideways to see Teddy's face redden in indignation.

"Why?" he cried, one hand balling into a fist, and the conductor reached into his pocket the draw out a crumpled scrap of paper which he hurriedly unfolded and thrust under the metamorphmagus' nose.

"Because!" the man declared furiously. "You're on our list of undesirables! You ain't welcome on this bus, not after last time!"

Carrie leant forward to examine the paper upon which was scribbled the list of people who were banned from setting foot inside the Knight Bus. It was a very short list, she noticed, for it only contained four names:

Sirius Black

James Potter

Remus Lupin

Peter Pettigrew

Teddy sniggered.

"It's not funny!" the conductor informed him, cheeks flushed pink. "Do you have any idea how many galleons it cost us for all that dry cleaning? The third deck's never smelt right since!"

"What the bloody hell did you let one of THEM on for?" the driver demanded to know, sounding bordering on traumatized, and the conductor shot Teddy an accusing look as he complained:

"How was I supposed to recognize 'im if he goes and dyes his hair bright blooming turquoise?" Noticing that Teddy was by now bordering on outright laughter, he flung his arm out to point at the exit, demanding:

"Go on, get off!"

"If you say so." Teddy managed to mumble between laughter, and the man's face contorted in further fury.

"Insolent little sod." Carrie heard him mutter, and the muggle decided that really, it was probably just best to do as he said, so she reached to grab Teddy by the elbow and lead him towards the exit. "Kids these days!" the conductor grumbled at their retreating backs. "What do you suppose your father would have to say about this, eh? I bet he'd be unimpressed, wouldn't he, kid?"

Teddy couldn't help it, not even when Carrie shot him a warning look. He laughed harder than ever.

"I think you'd be surprised what my father would have to say, actually..." he began, only for Carrie to yank him down the steps and out onto the waiting pavement, and no sooner had their feet hit the concrete the Knight Bus lurched back into action, disappearing with a loud bang.

It took only a few minutes of being surrounded by empty, dingy looking street that Teddy's amusement evaporated on the spot.

"Oh..." the young wizard muttered, glancing up and down the narrow road searchingly, and Carrie sighed and agreed:

"Yes, Ted, oh!"

"Where d'you suppose we are?" Teddy asked, taking a few steps uncertainly one way up the road, before changing his mind and setting off slowly in the opposite direction. Carrie hurried to catch up with him, keeping close to his side as she eyed the dirty, tall buildings around them. The street itself was very narrow, indeed she did not quite understand how the Knight Bus had managed to fit down it at all, and the surrounding houses cast long shadows down upon the pair as they walked. It reminded Carrie of Knockturn Alley, and at that thought she shuffled a little closer to Teddy's side and, not keen to discuss their new location, instead asked:

"Why would your dad be banned from using the Knight Bus, do you think?"

"Merlin knows," Teddy said, sniggering again at the thought. "I didn't even know he and his friends ever got banned at all, he's taken me on there before...maybe they tore up the list when they got a new conductor or something."

"I can't imagine your dad being in trouble like that." Carrie admitted as they rounded a corner, and the werewolf's son offered her a raised eyebrow.

"In which case," he said, sounding a little smug. "You've never _really _known my dad."

Carrie pursed her lips together thoughtfully. She had always considered Remus to be one of the most responsible and sensible people that she had ever met. His word, as far as she was concerned, was always the gospel truth. She had suspected this for several years, for he had a way of speaking that convinced Carrie that he knew what he was talking about without doubt, and he never rushed to answer questions that she asked, he always took time to think them through. Her suspicions had been confirmed by The Incident a few years ago, because Carrie was pretty sure that if she had listened to what Remus had told her at the time, the whole sorry series of events would never have occurred.

He really didn't seem to be the sort of person who got banned from riding a bus, or banned from anything much at all.

But then the more Carrie thought about it, the more that things seemed to hint that Remus wasn't quite the innocent and upstanding individual that he first appeared to be.

Take Carrie's map in her school planner, for example, that Remus had bewitched to show the location of Oakhurst's many inhabitants. Hadn't Dora pointed out at the time that what he had done was highly illegal?

And when attempting to cheer the muggle from her disastrous first day at Oakhurst many years ago, hadn't Dora recounted how Remus had once emptied an entire pot full of compost over a fellow student's head when he had been at school?

He laughed at things he probably ought not to: his wife's fury at the realization that James Potter had emptied her bottle of perfume down the toilet, the warning recollections of mischief at Hogwarts that he and the other adults told their children to ward them off such behavior themselves, the awkward moment when Dora had been confronted by the Minister for Magic for causing mass public panic, having claimed to have arrested a man who was already dead, before telling a crowded room full of holiday makers that the world was full of Dark Wizards in cunning disguise.

At school, Carrie recalled, Remus and his friends had nicknamed themselves The Marauders, which she supposed ought be a hint in itself.

And really, anybody married to Dora couldn't be quite as sensible and proper as Remus first appeared. It just wouldn't make sense...

Despite their grim surroundings, Carrie found herself grinning at the thought, and she was so buried in her thoughts that she barely noticed Teddy reaching to lay a hand on her arm to bring the two of them to a halt, until the young wizard observed:

"Well, at least we made it to London!"

Carrie blinked in surprise, and he pointed at a street sign just ahead of them, above the road name was printed in red letters: City of London.

"We...we were only on there a few minutes!" Carrie recalled in surprise, and Teddy gave a shrug.

"That's the Knight Bus for you." He sighed heavily, reaching to scratch his head with a deep frown. "Well I don't know what to do now, we can hardly ask for directions...this place will be full of muggles!"

"Well...I've been to London before." Carrie recalled, glancing around a little doubtfully. "I used to live quite close by, we used to come to do shopping in Oxford Street at Christmas. Do you know any places near by Diagon Alley?"

"The Leaky Cauldron's on Charing Cross Road...wherever that is."

"Probably near Charing Cross Station." Carrie mused, glancing around again as if to see the train station materialize in front of her, but she had no luck. "Okay then, let's just...let's look for a sign post to a train station, any train station for now."

And so the two friends set off up the street, staring around their surroundings hopefully. It took them some half an hour of wandering to spot the sign that they were looking for, just on the corner of a busy street full of muggle shoppers.

"There!" Teddy cried, pointing a triumphant arm at the lamp post in front of them, but Carrie was a little distracted by the large number of people who seemed to be staring at them as they walked past.

"Ted?" she mumbled, tugging at the back of her friend's t shirt. "People are staring at us."

"Are they?"

"Mm...I think...I think it might be your hair, you know? I don't think there were many boys with turquoise hair in the Seventies."

"Ah..." Teddy pursed his lips together thoughtfully before observing: "You're right...and you know, maybe I should change my appearance completely, just in case we...bump into anybody familiar. I don't want them to realise they know me before they...know me, you know?"

Carrie wasn't entirely sure that she did know, but nevertheless she led the way over to a nearby telephone box and stood outside, shielding Teddy from view as he discreetly morphed his colourful hair away. He reappeared a moment later with a mop of dirty blonde hair and dark, twinkling eyes that looked remarkably like Dora's. They set off around the corner and had only gone a short way before they found themselves stood before a large train station, and when Carrie spotted the large sign above the entrance, she very nearly leapt to punch the air in triumph.

Charing Cross Station.

Carrie wasted no time in hurrying over to the nearest bench upon which was sat a mother with her young son, to ask for directions to Charing Cross Road, and when she was informed that it was just around the corner, she really did jump up and down in excitement.

"Come on, Carrie!" Teddy muttered, offering the woman and startled looking toddler an apologetic look, and with that he grabbed her by the arm and dragged her off towards the Leaky Cauldron.

At first, Carrie didn't think that Diagon Alley in 1979 looked much different from the one in her own time. Of course the shops were a little different, there was no towering display at the entrance of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, instead it was a rather boring looking second hand book store. But overall, it seemed relatively unchanged. There were still crowds of shoppers bustling back and forth across the cobbles, all dwarfed by the enormous white mass of Gringotts' Wizarding Bank.

But then the two teenagers spotted a crowd gathering outside of one of the shops, and they moved forward to see what the fuss was about.

"Maybe it's a new broomstick." Teddy theorized with a grin. "Except it won't be, it'll be a old and dead slow one...like one of the old Comets!"

But the closer they got the edge of the crowd, the less convinced that Carrie became that they were about to see some new promotion in a shop window. The murmured talk amongst the gathered people sounded hostile rather than excited, and Carrie was just about to open her mouth and whisper her misgivings in Teddy's ear when up above the shop in a dusty looking window, a net curtain was pushed aside to reveal a young man with a thin, pointed face and sleek, dark hair. Carrie watched him stare down at the crowd for a long moment, before somebody a few feet in front of the muggle shouted:

"There! He's up there!"

Fingers began to point up at the man, and as Carrie squinted up at him, he shuffled backwards into the darkened room in which he was hiding.

"WEREWOLF SCUM!" A voice at Carrie's elbow bellowed, and before Carrie could twist to see who had shouted, a large stone came soaring over her head. She watched in horror as it flew through the air towards the window and as it smashed through the grubby pane of glass a great shout of approval rose up from the crowd.

"Oh Merlin..." Carrie heard Teddy whisper, and with that, all hell broke loose. The crowd seemed to surge forwards, pushing and shoving as people shouted abuse towards the window, stones and bits of rubbish being thrown towards the window.

"YOU'RE NOT WELCOME HERE!" Carrie heard a woman shriek somewhat hysterically, just as a man shouted:

"POISONOUS WRETCH!"

As she found herself stumbling sideways as a man in velvety red robes shoved his way past her, Carrie tried to plant her feet firmly on the ground, and when she twisted sideways to look at Teddy, she found he was nowhere to be seen.

"TEDDY?" she shouted, heart hammering in panic as she searched the crowd desperately for her friend, but her voice was drowned out by a short, tubby witch behind her yelling:

"That monster's been living next door to my grandchildren! MY GRANDCHILDREN!"

This exclamation seemed to infuriate the mob yet more than ever, and Carrie was quite alarmed to feel a hand grabbing hold of her arm and giving her a firm yank backwards. Her limbs seemed to seize up in terror, only for a familiar voice to demand:

"Move, Carrie!"

At the sound of Teddy's voice, Carrie twisted to spot him behind her, and the young wizard narrowly avoided stumbling right off his feet as a man pushed past him. Carrie reached to grasp hold of her friend's hand in both of her own, and together they pushed their way towards the edge of the crowd. Once free of the thronging mass of people, they backed off towards the other side of the road, staring with wide eyes at the mayhem.

"What are they...I mean...why?" Carrie whispered, slumping horrified against Teddy's side, and he slung a comforting arm around her shoulders.

"People don't like werewolves, Carrie." he pointed out, sounding surprisingly unaffected, but when she glanced up at his face she could see his jaw was clenched stoically.

"Yeah but...but this is...this is horrible!" There was a horrified pause as she watched the crowd begin to clap their hands jeeringly as yet more stones and debris were chucked at the window, before she sucked in a deep breath and whispered: "Is this what will happen, then? I mean...if...if people found out about your dad?"

Teddy gave a small shrug.

"It already did, didn't it? With the Goyles?"

"Yes but...but not like this! How can...how can people be so...so CRUEL?"

A great shout of excitement went up from the crowd as somebody within it's midst raised a large, battered looking barrel up above their head. The two teenagers watched grimly as the wooden object seemingly burst into flames, before being flung at the shop's window, smashing it with an almighty crash. The crowd shouted and clapped, and Carrie could not stand it, she turned and buried her face in Teddy's shoulder.

"It's not as bad as this in our time." Teddy assured her comfortingly. "This has never happened to my dad...not when I was alive, anyway. People don't freak out as much as they used to."

"They should never freak out like this, not at any time!" Carrie complained, flinching at the sound of another crash and cheer. She felt Teddy's grip upon her tighten and he too turned his back on the scene, no long able to watch.

"I don't think Wolfsbane has been invented yet." Teddy reasoned dully. "Werewolves are...they're more dangerous in this time..."

"I don't care!" Carrie exclaimed, squeezing her eyes shut against tears. "This is...this is BARBARIC! People should...they should be ashamed of themselves!"

"I know." Teddy agreed quietly, and his voice sounded so strained that Carrie bit her lip against more complaint. As offensive and upsetting as she might find the scene, she supposed Teddy found it a hundred times worse.

"We should get out of here, Ted." she decided, taking a deep breath and stepping back from him, eyes fixed upon his face in an attempt to ignore the chaos going on behind them. "You know...in case...it case it gets any worse."

Teddy turned to stare at the crowd for another long moment, expression deeply pained.

"Come on, let's go, yeah?" Carrie told him quietly, and he shot the sorry scene one last forlorn glance before agreeing:

"Yeah, let's."

They set off up the street, walking so closely together that they might almost be joined at the hip, and the young wizard kept his gaze fixed determinedly upon the cobbled ground. Carrie cast a worried glance sideways at him before reaching to take hold of him by the hand.

"I'm sure whoever it was will be alright." she told him, though she was not entirely sure whether or not she believed herself. When Teddy merely shrugged, she tried: "And I bet nobody would ever do that to your dad, either. I mean...you'd know, wouldn't you? If it...if they had..."

"You think my dad would tell me if something like this ever happened to him?" Teddy asked, coming to an abrupt halt and gesturing back at the crowd with a distinctly angry look. "You reckon that would make a nice bedtime story, do you?"

"Well...no, I didn't mean...I just meant that...well..." Carrie drew in a deep breath, attempting not to take his glaring personally. "I'm only saying that it's the sort of thing you'd know about, isn't it?" She was not sure that she had made herself any clearer, indeed the expression on Teddy's face did not change.

"I'm sure there are a whole bunch of things that have happened to my dad that he wouldn't dream of telling me about." the werewolf's son muttered darkly, and with that he turned and continued on up the street.

It was then, as they passed a small street that led off of the main road, that Carrie caught sight of a young woman who was stood upon the corner, observing the crowd with a distinctly hateful expression upon her face. She was a short, petite girl with dark brown hair that fell in ringlets about her distinctly pointy face, her skin was a gloriously tanned colour, it reminded Carrie of sunshine and golden sand beaches. She had very dark eyes, though as she turned to stare at the two teenagers as they passed, Carrie couldn't help but shiver a little at her gaze, for there was no warm twinkle, only cold, icy hatred. It was hatred, Carrie was sure, and as the girl's eyes darted back to stare at the crowd, the muggle was very glad to be free of her staring.

"So..." Carrie said, turning her attention swiftly back to the road ahead of them, for the girl made her feel uneasy. "Where do you think we should go?"

"I have an idea." Teddy muttered, and with that he quickened his pace back towards the Leaky Cauldron.


	6. The Lupins

_Note: Thanks so much to my reviewers! You make me SMILE! This chapter is rather on the short side...but then again the previous one was unusually long! I could have gone on, but I just felt like this was a nice place to end!_

_I think I'm going to start dedicating chapters again...so!_

_This chapter is dedicated to **Shadow82ABN**, for being a new face who was kind enough to review the last chapter! _

_Don't let that stop the old crowd, mind you! It's really lovely to have a little group of loyal readers/reviewers! _

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor am I making any profit from this piece of writing._

**6: The Lupins**

When she was finally led impatiently by the arm through the entrance to Kings Cross Station over an hour later, Carrie Winters felt so drained from walking the streets of London that she was not even vaguely excited by the prospect of visiting Platform 9 ¾ for the first time in her life. Indeed, having walked what she suspected was several miles, not to mention being given bad directions on more than one occasion, the muggle was pretty certain that her feet were going to drop off.

She was jerked awake from her irritable musings by Teddy asking:

"Ready?"

Carrie opened her mouth to ask: _ready for what?_ But then she spotted the horribly solid looking barrier between platforms 9 and 10, and promptly chose to screw her eyes shut instead. She allowed Teddy to pull her forwards, and quite suddenly she felt an odd squeezing sensation before the two of them came to a halt and she finally dared to open her eyes.

Platform 9 ¾ was packed full of witches and wizards, all waiting to greet their children off the Hogwarts Express, a great scarlet steam engine that appeared to have just pulled into the station, countless children dressed in black school robes were pouring out of the long line of carriages, some looking around searchingly for relatives, others making excited beelines through the waiting crowd.

"This way." Teddy decided, leading the way forward, and as they edged their way past a witch with frizzy blonde hair who was busy bouncing a giggling baby up and down upon her hip, Carrie reminded her friend:

"You still haven't told me who we're looking for."

"Over there!" Teddy cried excitedly, having apparently not heard her, and Carrie had to hurry to keep up with him as he weaved his way past a excited group of Hufflepuffs before coming to an abrupt halt, causing her to narrowly avoid walking straight into the back of him.

"Teddy..." she began, stepped sideways so that she could see what he had stopped to stare at, but he muttered:

"Shh! I don't want them to notice us yet!"

Carrie shuffled forward a step to get a better look, and found herself stood just behind a waiting couple, the husband raised up upon tiptoe as he gazed searchingly at the flood of students exiting the train, hands shoved deep into the pockets of his dark brown trousers in a distinctly impatient manner.

"Any moment now..." Carrie heard him murmur apprehensively, only to glance sideways at his wife and demand: "For Merlin's sake, Rhea! Stop it!"

Carrie turned to regard the woman curiously, and was surprised to find that unlike the rest of the waiting mothers, this one seemed far from cheery or excited.

The petite, golden haired woman reached to pull a handkerchief from the pocket of her peppermint green jacket with a sniff, and set about dabbing fretfully at her eyes as she informed her husband in a high, whimpering tone:

"I...I can't help it!"

"Well you'll have to!" the man told her bluntly, reaching to rake a frustrated hand through his sandy coloured hair. "Honestly, every time you lay eyes upon him you burst into tears! You're not doing him any favours, you know!" When his harsh words only seemed to reduce his wife to yet more tears, he sighed heavily and reached to put a comforting arm around her shoulders, and she leant into him with a shuddered breath.

"Come on, darling." he soothed, glancing towards the train again before pulling her into a firm hug. "Let's not cause a scene, eh? This is supposed to be a happy day, after all. This is a major achievement for him, let's do our best not to spoil it."

"But...but John!" Carrie heard the woman sob, drawing back from him so that she could fix him with watery, miserable eyes. "Those letters...!"

"Forget the letters, Rhea."

"But..."

"You need to ignore them."

Rhea's eyes widened as she reached to swipe the tears from her eyes again, paling as she asked:

"How can you SAY THAT?"

A few of the people surrounding them glanced in their direction at her raised voice, and John looked vaguely embarrassed, but Rhea didn't seem to notice.

"Our son is...he's...he's TROUBLED!"

"He's a teenaged boy, darling, they're all troubled." John reminded her, chuckling awkwardly, and she scrunched the handkerchief she was holding up in her fist in anger.

"He's not a normal teenaged boy though, is he?" she hissed, struggling to keep her voice down, and John's eyes widened as if the suggestion shocked him.

"Not here, for Merlin's sake!" he hissed. "Now dry your eyes, will you? We're going to do this properly, your going to give him a big hug and I'm going to tell him just how proud of him we are and then we're going to go home and give him a welcome home dinner that Hogwarts would be proud of!"

"You can't just bury your head in the sand, John! It doesn't work like that, he needs...he needs..." Rhea trailed off, apparently not entirely sure of exactly what her son was in need of, only for John to lose his temper and inform her furiously:

"I'll tell you what he doesn't need, Rhea! He doesn't need his mother sobbing all over him and looking at him like he's a lost cause! The chances of Remus making anything of himself in this world are slim enough without you burdening him with any more grief!"

It was at that precise moment that a trolley complete with Hogwarts trunk and a cardboard box piled high with books came to a halt before the couple, and they both spun around in surprise, eyes coming to rest upon the young man stood just behind it.

There was a long, pained silence as parents and son exchanged slightly startled glances, and Carrie shuffled forward a little closer to get a clearer view of eighteen year old Remus Lupin, who was still dressed in his school uniform, red and gold striped Gryffindor tie draped around his neck, the sleeves of his shirt and grey school jumper rolled up to reveal a pair of boney elbows, a shiny red prefect's badge pinned to his chest. He was the same tall height of his father and looked, Carrie decided, much too thin. He had the same sandy coloured hair as John, and Carrie could see something of Teddy in him, despite how skinny he was she quickly decided that they had the same chin. She tried not to smile at the thought, or indeed make it obvious that she was staring, but it all became rather difficult when realization of who she was looking at finally struck her.

It was Remus aged eighteen.

But not just Remus aged eighteen, but living, breathing, real Remus aged eighteen...

Dull, blank-faced Remus aged eighteen who had yet to offer either of his parents a single word of greeting.

Carrie pursed her lips together at this thought and glanced sideways to see Teddy openly staring at the trio.

It was Rhea who recovered first. She rushed around the side of the trolley, flinging her arms open wide before throwing them around the young werewolf's neck, hugging him fiercely.

"Here's my boy!" she exclaimed, pausing to press a firm kiss to his cheek. "Look at you!" Cupping his face in her hands and turning him to face her, she beamed up at him through still-watery eyes. "We're so proud of you, Sweetheart!" she announced firmly, nodding a little as if this might look a little more convincing. When Remus' lips only twitched upwards in a poor imitation of a smile, Rhea's hands fell back to her sides and she glanced sideways at her husband for support.

"Professor Dumbledore wrote last week." the father announced, plastering a smile across his despairing features. "He's ever so pleased with you, son."

"Oh yes!" Rhea exclaimed, excitement renewed afresh. "You do know he only writes to a handful of parents at the end of the year, don't you dear? You know what it means, don't you?" When Remus gave no indication that he had any idea at all she threw her arms around him again and declared much too loudly: "My boy is one of the brightest, one of the most hard working students in his whole entire year!"

Remus flinched and glanced over at his father somewhat pleadingly, but John merely grinned and said:

"We're so proud of you!"

"Yes," Rhea agreed as her son at last resorted to hugging her back, burying his face in her shoulder. "We are! And that's why, Remus, there's a freshly baked Victoria Sponge back at home with enough strawberry jam and cream to drown a giant in, and it's got your name on it!"

"What are we waiting for then?" John asked, stepping forward and nudging his wife and son sideways so that he could take control of the trolley. Looking down at the box packed full of books he puffed his cheeks, turning to offer his son a raised eyebrow.

"You're your mother's son, you know?" he said, gesturing to the trolley with a smile. "Where in Merlin's name do you intend on keeping all of those?"

Remus shrugged, and Rhea suggested:

"We could turn the spare bedroom into a library!" she nudged the werewolf conspiratorially in the ribs, voice dropping to a loud whisper as she told him: "That way we could banish all those horrible, smelly pets Dad insists on keeping to the shed at the bottom of the garden..."

"They don't smell!" John interjected indigently, and his wife rolled her eyes at him.

"They stink! Don't they, Remus dear?"

Carrie thought Remus might just shrug again, for he hadn't uttered a word since she had lain eyes upon him, but instead he at last smiled and murmured:

"I like them."

Rhea let out a exaggerated sigh of resignation, reaching to tuck her hand in the crook of her son's arm and John maneuvered the trolley around so that he could lead the way back towards the magical barrier.

"So," Rhea began rather hesitantly as Carrie and Teddy shuffled discreetly along behind the trio. "What are the big plans for this summer, then? Are you going to...are you going to go and stay at James for a few days like last time?"

"This isn't a summer holiday, Mum." Remus reminded her somewhat grimly, his gaze upon his shoes, and Carrie watched Rhea swallow a lump in her throat.

"Well...well of course it isn't, Sweetheart." the mother agreed, looking a little flustered. "But...but well you only graduate once, don't you? It'll be nice, won't it, for you all to...to have bit of fun before...well..."

"Before I settle down and get myself a nice job, get married and have my own family?" Remus finished for her, glancing up at her disbelievingly. "Yes, Mum, it'll be _lovely_..."

"Don't speak to your mother like that, Remus." John shot sternly over his shoulder, but Rhea told him:

"No John, it's...it's fine." She reached to clutch hold of Remus' arm with both hands, expression imploring as she told him: "It's going to be alright, dear. Everything will be alright...you'll see."

Remus went back to staring down at his shoes, lips pursed against commenting, only for the trio to pause at the sound of a voice back in the thronging crowd behind them bellowing:

"OI! MOONY!"

Carrie and Teddy both turned to look for the source of the call, and it took them only a moment to spot it. Some distance off in the middle of the crowd, a boy who looked remarkably like Teddy's godfather Harry was stood waving his arms above his head, a red haired girl stood beside him was jumping up and down and waving enthusiastically in an attempt to catch Remus' attention.

"REMUS OVER HERE!" the girl shouted, and when Remus at last caught sight of the pair, the boy shouted:

"PARTY AT MINE LATER! BE THERE OR ELSE!"

Remus offered James Potter and Lily Evans a half-hearted wave of his own before turning his back on them and continuing on towards the barrier.

"A party!" Rhea observed brightly. "That sounds like fun."

"It does." John agreed when Remus didn't appear to agree with her. "You be careful, mind. We don't want a repeat of last Christmas."

Remus reached to cough into the palm of his hand as his mother insisted:

"That wasn't Remus' fault, dear."

"Of course not, our boy's positively angelic. That's why he's sniggering." John said without looking round.

If he had been sniggering, Remus' amusement was apparently short lived for he folded his arms across his chest as they came to a halt before the barrier.

"It's alright, Dad." he mumbled gloomily. "I'm not going."

"Don't be silly, Sweetheart. Of course your going..."

"No Mum, I'm really not."

Remus' parents exchanged a distinctly worried glance, which lingered just long enough for their son to notice.

"I'm not INVISIBLE, you know!" the teenaged werewolf snapped irritably, making them both flinch. "And it's none of your bloody business whether or not I want to go to some stupid party..."

"Remus..." John began, voice stern again, but his son was already in full flow.

"And...and so what if I don't want to go to a party! So what? So what if I don't want to go and celebrate the fact that my life is basically OVER! I'm sorry I'm not jumping for joy! You don't have to keep...keep LOOKING at me like that!"

"We're not looking at you like anything, darling..."

"Yes you are! You think I'm...you think I'm...I'm mental or...or something! You think I'm a problem! You don't know what to do with me! You think I'm a...a...a freak like the rest of them! "

"Don't say that, Remus, of course we don't..."

"Why don't you just tell me instead of tiptoeing around me the whole time? I may be different but I'm not made of bloody china!"

As people turned to stare at his outburst, the recent graduate paused, drawing in deep, frustrated breaths, face flushed in embarrassment as he noticed the many eyes upon him.

"What are we waiting here for, anyway?" he muttered, ducking his head self consciously, causing his fringe to fall into his eyes. "Let's just go home."

And with that, he shoved his hands deep into his pockets in a very Teddy-like fashion and hurried forwards, disappearing through the barrier before Carrie's eyes.

John's eyes drifted closed for a moment as he drew in a long, steadying breath, before exhaling deeply. Then his eyes snapped open to look at his wife and he told her through clenched teeth:

"Don't cry again, for Merlin's sake!" He turned on his heel to stride after his son, only for a voice behind him to make him pause.

"Mr. Lupin?"

Carrie felt a jolt of surprise at the sound of Teddy's voice, and she glanced nervously sideways at her friend as he took a hesitant step towards his grandfather.

"Mr. John Lupin of Kindlewood?" Teddy tried again, and when the tall wizard nodded the boy smiled amiably and exclaimed: "We're so glad to have caught you!" Carrie found herself tugged forward to Teddy's side as the boy hurriedly explained: "our Grandma mentioned you were neighbors once. My name's Joshua, and this is my sister..." he paused debatingly for a moment and, taking inspiration for his use of his best friend from school's name, Carrie supplied:

"Cleo."

"Yes, this is my sister Cleo, we were hoping you might take us back to Kindlewood with you. We're meant to be staying at Grandma's house, only Cleo forgot her purse and we've no coins to pay for the floo."

Carrie wanted to throw her arms around the boy beside her a tell him what a genius she thought he was, but instead she attempted to fix the most innocent and pleading look upon her face that she could muster.

"I'm sure we could do that." John consented, gesturing for them to follow, and the two teenagers exchanged a secret grin before offering enthusiastic thanks and following Remus' parents through the barrier.

The village of Kindlewood was, Carrie quickly decided, a village in name only. Hamlet would have been a better description, for there were only a handful of cottages set sparingly upon a poorly kept road that seemed to be in the middle of nowhere, woods to one side and sprawling open fields to the other. The cottages themselves were small, built of pale, uneven stone, fronted by little front gardens full of potted plants and long, tangled grass. Upon one side of the lane, a crumbling stone wall ran along, barely visible from the untamed grass growing up around it, and having offered John and Rhea enthusiastic thanks, pretending not to notice their embarrassment when Remus spoke not a single word to either of them, choosing instead to shuffle off towards their house with his shoulders hunched, Teddy and Carrie retreated to sit upon the crumbling structure to discuss what they were going to do next.

As she watched John and Rhea disappear into the last house in the row with a deep frown, Carrie observed:

"Well that was...awkward."

"A little." Teddy agreed, not too concerned, and Carrie bit her lip.

"Don't you think, Ted...that...that maybe we should...well...go somewhere else?"

"Why?" Teddy asked, sounding bordering on offended. "These are the right people to help us, I know it. My grandfather...well I know he seems a bit gruff now but...but he was only ever like that with Dad, not other people. That's what Dad says."

Carrie glanced up at the cloudy sky, frowning more than ever.

"Well if I were him," she said, folding her hands in her lap, "the last person I'd want to be gruff with would be my son."

"Good thing you're not him, then." Teddy told her defensively, folding his arms across his chest. "There are two ways Dad's parents could've reacted to having a werewolf as a son. They could have done all they could to treat him like he was normal, or they could have accepted that he wasn't and tried their best to protect him from the world. Unfortunately they couldn't agree on what to do. Grandad John wanted to bring him up to be as normal as possible, teach him to stick up for himself and never be afraid or bitter...probably because he was worried Dad would be bitter enough to resent him for the whole sorry situation in the first place. And Grandma Rhea wanted to wrap him up in cotton wool and tell him how brave he was for just existing in the first place. As you can see, they both did a crap job, Dad got thrown into the lion's den by one parent and smothered by the other."

"Well I think they did a fine job." Carrie protested, feeling an odd weight in her chest as she gazed over at the Lupins' cottage with a small sigh. "Whatever they did, something was right. Your dad turned out alright in the end." she turned abruptly back to face Teddy as she added: "But he's not really alright now, is he? He's...well he's not really your dad yet. I don't think we should go poking our noses into his life right now..."

"I'm not going to go and get help from strangers." Teddy insisted, looking horrified at the very idea. "This isn't our time, Carrie, it's...darker! It's positively black! We can't just trust anybody we happen across in the street..." he lowered his voice a little as he added: "Voldemort is at large, there's a war on!"

At this realization, Carrie felt a sudden sense of dread creeping up on her and she glanced around nervously, as if expecting Death Eaters to materialize in front of her there and then.

"We have to stick to who we know." Teddy went on, having paused to glance nervously around himself. "Your right about my dad, this isn't...him yet, I know. He's only a few years older than us and he's having a hard time, he hasn't figured his life out yet. But he's still Remus Lupin, he's still the same person, and I'd trust him to help me no matter what's going on in that head of his."

Carrie sighed and reached to run a tired hand over her face.

Teddy was right, she supposed. Yes, eighteen year old Remus seemed a far cry from his mature counterpart, but he was still Remus. Still the Remus who read books faster than new ones could be printed, still the Remus who was quiet and thoughtful and nothing but diligent. He was a little rough around the edges, perhaps, but then again was that really any different? He'd been cuttingly sarcastic towards his mother, but Carrie was pretty sure a day didn't pass in her time without him muttering something similar in Dora's direction under his breath, in better humour that no doubt came with age.

He swore more, but then again didn't everyone when they were younger? He'd been openly sulky and sullen, apparently he hadn't yet had the time to learn to act.

And he had no hope. He thought his life ended here...

He was wrong. Very, very wrong.

And despite all she knew about time travel and how careful she was going to have to be in the coming days, Carrie felt an overwhelming urge to let him know just how wrong he was.

_Note: WOW! A note at the end of a chapter! Shocking! Brownie points to anybody who guessed who Rhea was the moment they saw her name! _

_Apparently Rhea was the mother of Romulus and Remus! _

_Next up...we're going to meet the Marauders..._


	7. The Beginning of Trouble

_Note: Dedicated to **DreamerBugg**y, another new face! Welcome to the Mad House! =)_

_Thanks to everybody who reviewed! I really ought be doing my university work right now so...I have no idea when I will get round to updating again!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter_

**7: The Beginning of Trouble**

Come evening when the sky tinged shades of orange and pink and the shadows grew longer upon the uneven road, Teddy and Carrie had achieved little save for a stroll up into the fields to better see their surroundings, and a series of long, hushed conversations from which no certain conclusions about what to do next were reached. They had retreated back to perch upon the wall and were just bemoaning their fate for what seemed to Carrie to be the hundredth time when there came a series of loud popping noises that very nearly made the muggle topple backwards off the wall in surprise. She was just regaining her balance and turning to look up the road towards the source of the commotion when she heard a young man's voice announce:

"You know, guys, I'm not entirely sure that this is a very good idea."

As Carrie's eyes came to rest upon a little cluster of people who had just appeared outside of the Lupins' house, she heard a sharp intake of breath from beside her and Teddy whispered:

"Awesome..."

"Shut up and stop trying to sound so bloody sensible, Wormtail!" a tall young man with carefully disheveled black hair demanded as he stepped out from the group and strode purposefully towards the Lupins' front door. "That's Moony's job, once he's stopped being such a pathetic tosser!"

"Yeah..." another of the group murmured warily as he set off after the first, reaching to push his glasses up his nose. "Here's an idea, Padfoot mate, drop the pathetic tosser line when you knock on the door, won't you? I don't reckon Moony will appreciate it."

"Well tough!" Sirius Black shot over his shoulder, throwing his arms up in a distinctly bad tempered emphasis. "He doesn't need cotton wool and cuddles, Prongs! What he needs is a good talking to!"

"Sirius Black! If you say something awful to him I SWEAR...!"

Sirius paused in his striding to turn to roll his eyes at the latest speaker, who Carrie saw was a red-haired girl in a denim summer dress, she stood with the original speaker, a short, pink faced young man with mousy brown hair.

"Me? Awful? Oh Lily, I'm hurt...!"

"I mean it!" Lily Evans announced, hands flying to her hips. "Peter's right, this could go very, very wrong! You can't just barge in there and start throwing your weight around! We need to be...delicate..."

Sirius' face contorted in disgust and even from a distance, Carrie heard him groan.

"Oh Merlin, your going to HUG him, aren't you?" the estranged Black complained, only for Lily to snap:

"James! Tell him!"

"Lily's right, Padfoot." James Potter said, gazing up at the first floor windows of the house with a deep frown. "We need to do this right. If we mess it up I'll never forgive myself." His gaze dropped down to fix Sirius with a firm stare before he set off towards the front door again, adding: "And if that means giving my mate a hug, well...so be it."

"He looks so much like Harry!" Carrie whispered as she and Teddy watched him come to a halt before the door.

"I know," Teddy whispered back, sounding somewhat stunned. "I swear...they even walk the same!"

"Weird..." Carrie agreed as she watched Peter and Lily hurry to catch up with James, whilst Sirius remained a few paces back, staring up at the windows above as his best friend had done a moment beforehand.

James, Lily and Peter stood before the door in silence for a long moment, Peter shifting uneasily from foot to foot and James fiddling with the hem of his jumper. After a little, Lily's shoulders slumped and she leant to lean her head against James' shoulder.

"James?" she murmured as her boyfriend reached to put an arm around her shoulders. "What...what are we going to do?"

James simply continued his contemplation of the brass doorknocker in silence.

"What do we do if he doesn't want to see us?" Peter wondered aloud, gaze upon his shoes. He sounded even more worried when he pondered: "What do we do if he DOES want to see us?"

At long last, James seemed to have come to some sort of conclusion, for his posture straightened somewhat and his grip upon Lily tightened.

"I don't know exactly what we're going to do. But we've got to do something! I don't care what...what those morons at the Ministry think, I don't care about their stupid restrictive laws and I don't care that society wants to chew Remus up and spit him back out again. I'll be damned if we're going to let them ruin his life! We just need to sit him down and say...and say look, Moony mate...um...screw the Ministry! And...and screw society! We're your mates and we're going to be here for you, no matter what!"

"Exactly!" Peter agreed, nodding his head in approval, and Lily gave a small sniff and told him:

"That's perfect, James."

"Yeah, it is." James decided, taking a turn at nodding himself. "And we don't let him argue with us, right? We don't let him say...we don't let him think he doesn't deserve our help, and we don't let him say he's not worth it, we just tell him...you know..."

"Yeah."

"That's right."

"Right."

The trio drew in a collective deep breath, shifting their feet a little nervously before James announced:

"Right...I'm going to do it!"

And with that, he raised his hand and reached for the knocker...

Just as Sirius straightened up from picking up a stone from the garden path, before drawing his arm back and flinging the missile towards the nearest first story window with a shout of:

"OI! GET OUT HERE MOONY, YOU PATHETIC TOSSER!"

CRASH!

As the stone smashed straight through the window, striking the wall inside with a soft thud, James, Lily and Peter all spun around to stare at Sirius with wide, horrified eyes.

Sirius stared up at the smashed window, eyes wide too as he reached to scratch the back of his neck rather awkwardly.

"Oops..." he mumbled, only for James to shout:

"Padfoot you IDIOT!"

And at that moment, the front door was flung open, bouncing off it's hinges to reveal a distinctly cross looking John Lupin.

"What in Merlin's name is going on out here?" Remus' father demanded, and Carrie pursed her lips together at the sight of James, Lily and Peter spinning back round to face the irate man, each looking very apologetic indeed.

"Good evening Mr. Lupin." Lily began as Peter took a noticeable step backwards. "Um...we're here to see Remus."

"So I heard." John agreed disapprovingly. "Perhaps you might care to knock on the door next time, like normal people."

James opened his mouth to apologize, only for Peter to give a nervous chuckle and explain:

"Yes, we know, it's just Sirius has never been very normal, you see..."

"We're awfully sorry." James interrupted, elbowing Peter in the ribs to shut him up. "I'm sure Sirius didn't meant to break anything."

"I didn't realise the glass was that fragile." Sirius called, and beside Carrie, Teddy sniggered, only to halt abruptly when John gave a snort and said meaningfully:

"You think I'm that fussed about a bit of broken glass? We can fix that in half a second! You're not the first idiot to throw stones through my son's bedroom window, you know."

There was a rather pained paused before James inquired:

"Can we come in and see him?"

"Yeah," Sirius called, "we need to have a little chat, he's ruined our party plans!"

Lily glanced over her shoulder to offer him a scowl, and he gave an innocent shrug.

"What? It's true, he has..."

"Your welcome to try." John consented, stepping aside to let them inside. "But he's not left his bedroom since we got back from the station..."

Carrie and Teddy watched Lily and the three Marauders file inside and as the door shut behind them, Teddy announced:

"Uncle George is going to be jealous."

"Why?" Carrie asked, getting stiffly to her feet, legs aching in protest having been immobile for too long.

"Because I've met the Marauders...all of them! Together!"

"Hardly, Ted. You've SEEN them, not met them. Besides, who's to say George will get the chance to be jealous? We might never get home to tell him about it."

Teddy pursed his lips together against both agreement and denial, uncertain as to what to say, and glanced around searchingly for a way to change the subject.

"Sirius seems a bit mental." Carrie offered, and they both took a moment to snigger.

"Dad always said he was a bit." Teddy recalled, and Carrie observed:

"Seems like a bit of a tosser himself, actually."

"Yeah...Mum says so sometimes. Good heart though, Dad says, just a bit...rough around the edges."

"I like him."

"Me too."

Carrie paused to chew thoughtfully on a nail before wondering:

"What about Peter?"

"What about him?"

"Well...he's...you know..."

Teddy got to his feet so suddenly that it made the muggle jump a little and he fixed her with a deadly serious look.

"He's not anything yet, Carrie." he whispered, gaze piercing. "He might be a traitor in a few years time, but he's not one yet. You can't...they can't..."

"They can't find out about the future, I know." Carrie said, turning away to stare thoughtfully at the house again. "I know, Ted, I'm not stupid."

"I never said you were," Teddy mumbled, "it's just...we have to keep it in mind, you know? It's...difficult..."

Carrie frowned deeply, reaching to hug her arms around herself as she admitted:

"I don't like to keep it in my mind at all. They're all so...together. Loyal. Alive!" she turned back to face her friend as she reminded him: "And I know it won't last. Your Dad's going to be the only one left."

Teddy let out a small shudder and reached to put an arm around her shoulders.

"Don't worry, Carrie." he told her, giving her a comforting pat upon the arm. "We won't have to stay here for long. We'll find a way home."

There was a long silence as she leant her head against his shoulder with a sigh, gazing aimlessly around them until her eyes came to rest upon what appeared to be a picnic basket that had been abandoned upon the ground, just where Lily, James, Sirius and Peter had appeared a short while beforehand.

"I think they forgot something." Carrie observed, raising an arm to point, and Teddy squinted through the gathering darkness to look at it, eyes lighting up inquisitively.

"I wonder what's inside!" the young metamorphmagus wondered excitedly, only for Carrie to guess:

"A picnic, I suppose. It being a picnic basket..."

Teddy gave a snort of disbelief.

"Oh Carrie," he grinned, eyes alight with mischief. "These are the Marauders we're talking about here! You've got so much to learn..."

The hamper was in actual fact filled with a picnic of sorts, just a highly unconventional one, in that it lacked the traditional jam sandwiches or indeed any proper food at all. Instead it was crammed full of all manner of sugary treats and a large number of glass bottles that Carrie strongly suspected contained alcohol of one kind or another.

Teddy let out a low, rather impressed whistle, only for their attention to be drawn back to the house as the first floor window that was still sporting a smashed pane was pushed open and muffled laughter drifted out into the early evening air.

"Shhhhh!"

"Yeah, shut up guys!"

"Can't we just apparate?" Peter's voice suggested hopefully, only for James to tell him:

"Nah, Wormtail, that would be much too obvious."

"This is all a bit mental, James."

"Maybe, Lily...but after what happened last Christmas do you honestly want to try and sneak that stash of ours past Moony's parents?"

"Um...not really, no."

"Exactly. Besides you can relax! Moony's done this loads of times before, haven't you? It isn't dangerous."

There was a long pause before James suggested:

"You um...want to show us how it's done then, Moony mate?"

"Are you sure you don't want to go first, Padfoot?" Remus' voice suggested, only for Sirius to demand:

"Don't be such a bloody wuss, Moony!"

"Yeah Moony, get a move on will you? Sirius needs to see how it's done, so he doesn't break a leg like last time." James agreed, much to his best friend's fury.

"I did NOT..." Sirius began, only for Remus to ask:

"Are you sure you didn't? Because you screamed loud enough Wormtail thought you might have broken several..."

"Piss off! Just hurry up before I push you!"

And with that, Carrie and Teddy watched with wide eyes as Remus appeared at the window, and set about climbing up onto the window sill, reaching to grasp hold of the wall as he shuffled closer to the edge, swaying a little as he stared down at the ground many feet below.

"Push him!"

"No, don't!"

"Go on, Wormtail, I dare you! Give him a good shove!"

"Shhhh!"

Remus paused in his precarious climb to glance over his shoulder at his friends.

"Shut up, somebody's going to hear you." Carrie heard him mutter, before he turned his attention back to the drop.

"Don't fall, Remus." Lily hissed in warning, and the werewolf admitted:  
"Don't worry, that's not part of the plan."

The others sniggered.

Carrie watched with bated breath as Remus reached carefully into his pocket and drew out his wand. Grasping it firmly in one hand, he let go of the wall that he was clinging to, took a noticeable deep breath, before throwing himself off the ledge and towards the ground.

Carrie couldn't help it, as she watched him plummet towards the ground, she let out a small squeak of alarm, only for him to hit the ground with a loud thud, the ground beneath his feet seemingly bending under the sudden weight, as if it were made of rubber.

"See," James announced cheerily as he and the others appeared to peer out of the window. "Piece of cake, right Moony?"

Remus stumbled forward a few steps, legs somewhat shaky as he mumbled:

"Yeah...piece of cake...absolutely..."

As James made to climb up upon the window sill next, Remus stooped to rub his shins with a deep frown, before straightening up...

And his eyes came to rest upon Carrie and Teddy, stood beside the picnic hamper, staring straight back at him.

"Um..." Teddy mumbled, reaching to scratch the back of his neck awkwardly. "Hi..."

"Hello," Remus greeted, offering the pair a friendly smile that so reminded Carrie of his adult self that she struggled not to gape stupidly at him. Apparently his friends had said something suitably cheering, for he seemed to be in a much better mood than he had been when they had first laid eyes upon him. Before they could exchange another word, however, a loud voice from the window announced:  
"Watch the MASTER!"

James, who had just landed upon the ground with only a minor stumble, turned to look up at the house again, backing off as he laughed mockingly.

"Well this is going to be entertaining!" he exclaimed, only for Remus to tell both he and Sirius:

"Keep your voices down for Merlin's sake! At this rate we might as well have apparated!"

James clearly wasn't listening, for his gaze was fixated upon the window, and at that precise moment, Sirius jumped...

His descent seemed far faster than that of those before him, and though the ground dipped softly as he hit the grass, he landed upon his knees, promptly rolling onto his side as he reached to hug his legs to his chest with a shout of:

"SHIT!"

Seemingly forgetting his own warning, Remus let out a shout of laughter as James doubled over in hysterics.

"Brilliant!" Remus cried, slapping his legs in amusement, and Sirius dragged himself into a sitting position, snatching up his dropped wand before turning to point it in Remus' direction. He opened his mouth no doubt to shout an indigent threat of some sort, only to pause at the sight of the two younger teenagers stood at Remus' elbow. He eyed the open hamper at Teddy's side and promptly inquired:

"Who the hell are you?"

"They're...neighbors. Sort of." Remus announced, striding forward and offering his fellow Marauder a hand. "Let me help you up...?"

"Yeah, thanks..." Sirius said, reaching to grab him by the hand, and he promptly yanked it forwards, pulling the werewolf straight off his feet and flat upon the grass with a muttered groan.

"Well, if you insist on never learning, Moony mate...!" James told him unsympathetically as Sirius heaved himself to his feet with a satisfied grin.

Remus lay upon the grass, motionless for a despairing moment before reaching to push himself upwards and scrambling back onto his feet.

"Thanks Padfoot." he muttered, and Sirius cheerfully told him:

"Your very welcome, mate."

As Peter and Lily set about their own descents, Remus, Sirius and James turned their attention back to the newcomers.

"Hi..." Teddy began again, only for Sirius to ask:

"Have you been snooping through our stuff?"

"Don't bite the kid's head off, Padfoot." Prongs told him with a grin. "Besides, can't blame them can you? It's pretty decent stuff!"

Remus wandered forward to examine the hamper's contents, sucking in a deep breath.

"Sweet Merlin..." the werewolf muttered, and Sirius grinned.

"It is decent, don't you think Moony?"

"Mm." Remus agreed mildly.

"I'm going to get you pissed." Sirius announced wickedly, grin broadening when Remus muttered:

"I rather doubt it."

"Is that a challenge?"

"No, Padfoot. It really isn't."

Carrie glanced past them to see Lily helping Peter up from the ground and as they stumbled forward to join the group, Sirius gave an irritated sigh.

"Moony, Moony, Moony!" he tutted, waving a finger at his friend's chest. "How many times have I got to tell you? If you don't get pissed every once in a while, your never going to find a girl and..."

"Shut up, Padfoot."

"Let me finish..."

"No. Like you said, you've told me a million times before. And I've told you a million times before, your talking rubbish. Besides, there aren't any girls here."

Carrie watched in horror as Sirius turned to face her, waggling his dark eyebrows suggestively, only for both Remus and Lily to cry:

"Sirius!"

"What? I didn't say anything..."

"You'll have to excuse Sirius." Lily announced, shooting the young man in question an utterly revolted look. "He's a disgusting and obnoxious berk. Hi, I'm Lily, by the way. What're your names? Sorry, I didn't catch them."

Carrie was much too busy feeling her cheeks burn red to answer, so Teddy said:

"I'm Joshua and this is my sister, Cleo."

"It's lovely to meet you. This is James, that's Peter, and..." Lily began, only for Sirius to interrupt loudly by saying:

"I'm just SAYING, Moony, there's nothing wrong with, you know..."

"No I don't know, and I don't WANT to know." Remus muttered, but Sirius ignored him.

"I mean SOMEBODY'S got to round here, haven't they? Prongs, no offense mate, but you and Lily, it's a bit boring, and Wormtail...well...your scared of girls, aren't you? So..."

"I'm not!"

"Sure, sure. Anyway, what I'm trying to say, Moony, is that it's a bit boring for me, being the only one out of the four of us who has a decent love life..."

"I have a very decent love life, Padfoot..."

"No you don't Prongs, your love life is boring. Lovely, great and everything, but boring."

"Look, Padfoot, just because no girl in their right mind would actually want to date you for longer than half an hour..."

"So," Lily said, voice raised above the boys' bickering. "Do you live around here, then? I've never spotted you before."

"Um...we're staying with our grandmother." Teddy told her, pointing a vague arm over his shoulder at a couple of the other cottages. "We thought we'd stay out here for a bit, you know...grandparents can be a bit boring."

"Well you can stay and keep us company if you like." Lily offered cheerfully, offering Carrie a broad smile. "It'll be nice to have a bit of sane company for a change, won't it Remus?"

Remus, who had abandoned his exasperated observation of Sirius and James' debate about the merits and downfalls of long term relationships, turned to nod agreement.

"That would be an understatement." he murmured, and Lily reached to throw an arm around him as she announced:

"It's alright, you'll be safe with Remus and I, we're perfectly capable of keeping James and Sirius on the straight and narrow..."

"Speak for yourself." the werewolf muttered, and the witch turned to look up at him with a frown.

"You know better than to let Sirius upset you, don't you? He's only playing around, you know." she said, voice dropping to a murmur so that Sirius couldn't hear her.

"What's there to be upset about?" Remus mumbled, chuckling rather darkly as he said: "Nice to know he thinks I've got it in me..."

"Of course he does, we all do."

"Lily, let's not..."

"The only difference is I know you'll do relationships properly, proper properly, not Sirius' ridiculous notion of properly..."

Remus visibly paled, and at the blank stare that she was offered, Lily trailed off into silence.

"Well I'd marry you!" she announced with a shrug, one last attempt to make him see sense, and Sirius and James instantly stopped bickering.

"What?" James asked, eyes wide in mock horror, and Lily stuck her tongue out at him, at last coaxing the smile back onto Remus' face. "You can't marry Moony, Lily, it'll break my heart."

"Well how about I marry you instead then?" Lily suggested brightly, only to nudge Remus in the ribs and add: "We could just have a fling instead..."

James puffed his cheeks in exasperation and stooped to examine the contents of the hamper, muttering:

"I need a drink..."

At that moment, there came the sound of footsteps, and everybody turned to glance down the lane. Four people were walking up the road towards them, two tall, skinny looking men dressed in long black traveling cloaks and, just behind them, a short, scrawny looking woman with curly greying hair. They were all carrying a series of large boxes and suitcases and at the back of the group trailed a girl of around seventeen, dragging a small trunk along behind her. As they drew closer and turned down the pathway of an old, dilapidated looking cottage that looked as though it had not been occupied for years, Carrie got a clearer look at the girl...

And it was then that everything first began to go so terribly wrong.

For the Marauders and Lily had only glanced around briefly at the newcomers, and might never have given them a second glance ever again, had it not been for Carrie's realisation that she had seen the girl before.

"Look!" the muggle hissed, barely resisting the urge to point. "It's that girl we saw earlier in Diagon Alley! You know, on the corner watching that horrible business with the werewolf!"

At the mention of werewolves, Remus and his friends all spun back around to look at the girl.

And the girl paused just short of the old cottage's front step, turning to stare straight back at them. Carrie hastily looked away again, so as not to be caught staring, and so did everybody else.

Except Remus, who seemed to have momentarily forgotten that it was rude to stare.

And the girl offered the werewolf a rather shy smile and a wave, before disappearing inside after the other newcomers.

And as soon as the door had swung shut behind her, back outside the Lupins' house, Sirius let out a low whistle.

"Well then, Moony mate." he said with a grin, reaching to slap his friend upon the back, making Remus wince. "Looks like you were wrong. There IS a girl round here!"

"Shut up Padfoot." came the immediate response.


	8. The Truth

_Note: It has taken me a long time to update! I'm sorry about that, I am very busy at the moment as I have an exam to study for, and then I got distracted writing the first chapter of the 4th story in this 'ficverse! Still, I won't be posting that until this is over, so I thought I better hurry up and update this one! I hope you all enjoy it._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter._

**8: The Truth**

"Gimme that!"

"Not a chance."

"Want a bet, Moony mate?"

"You're pissed."

"What's your point?"

"I've only had one glass. This bottle's mine."

"The bottle? Are you sure about that, Moony? Don't forget last Christmas..."

"Shut up Prongs, I'm only thinking of you and your carpet back home, Padfoot's bound to throw up all over it after what he's drunk. We can't let him drink any more!"

"True. But...last Christmas...!"

"Shut up!"

"No, no, Prongs! Let him have the bottle. Let him keep it, it's his."

"Thanks..."

"On one condition."

"Oh Merlin..."

"You have to drink all of it. Now. In one go!"

As she sat cross-legged upon the grass beside Teddy, Carrie watched the drama unfolding before her with an odd mixture of anticipation and disapproval.

Some meters in front of her, Remus stood, eying the bottle in his hand with a deep frown, both Sirius and James watching him keenly, the former smirking for all his was worth. When the young werewolf failed to come to any kind of conclusion straight away, Sirius offered:

"Five galleons say you're chicken!"

"Sirius!" Lily cried disapprovingly from her position crouched beside the hamper, midway through searching through it's contents. "Don't listen to him, Remus, that's a bloody ridiculous thing to do, you know it is! You'll make yourself sick!"

"It's not worth it anyway." Peter pointed out from his position sprawled upon the grass to Carrie's right, a bottle of butterbeer balanced precariously upon his knee. "Moony's boring when he's drunk. He just gets even more thoughtful and sensible."

"At least he doesn't just fall asleep snoring like you do, Wormtail." James reasoned with a snigger. "And he's far from boring, I'll have you know that some of the best conversations I've ever had with Moony have been when he's been completely and utterly hammered."

"Rubbish!" Sirius scoffed, reaching to clamp a distinctly drunken yet fond hand down upon Remus' shoulder. "Moony's never been completely wasted in his whole entire life...well...unless you count..."

"LAST CHRISTMAS!" James and Peter shouted simultaniously, and Remus immediately shouted:

"SHUT UP!"

When his friends only howled with laughter, he let out a despairing sigh, though as he ducked his head in embarrassment, Carrie could have sworn that he was fighting against a grin.

"I think your mum thought you were going to die or something." Peter recalled, and Sirius' grip upon Remus' shoulder tightened as he exclaimed:

"Forget his mum, MOONY thought he was going to die!"

As Sirius let out a barking shout of laughter, hand slipping from his friend's shoulder, Remus mumbled something irritably under his breath, before taking a generous swig from the bottle in his hand. As conversation moved on to what James and Sirius had planned for the weekend, Carrie watched the young werewolf edge away from his friends until he was free of the group, before shuffling over to a nearby tree, dropping down upon the glass so that he could lean back against the trunk, the bottle balanced precariously in his lap. His apparent sulk went unnoticed from some while, for the other Marauders were soon busy making grand plans for the coming weeks.

The bottle was bordering on half empty when Lily finally abandoned her exasperated refereeing of the other boys' debates and wandered over towards the silent figure, dropping down to sit beside him. As the red-head's cheek came to rest against the werewolf's shoulder, Carrie strained to listen to their hushed conversation.

"Knut for your thoughts?" Lily offered, and Remus paused in his intent examination of the bottle's top to glance sideways at her with a frown.

"Mm." came the reluctant response.

"Either that, or I could get Sirius to fleece you ten galleons for them."

The werewolf let out a soft chuckle, fingers tapping thoughtfully agains9t the side of the bottle.

"Do you think," he wondered, frown creasing his brow once again, "that we're born brave?"

Lily shifted against his shoulder, pursing her lips together in consideration.

"No," Carrie heard her decide after a long moment. "How can we be? You can't be brave without being confronted with something that you are afraid of in the first place. I think we become brave, over time."

"In which case," Remus theorized, "we can become cowards too. We're not just brave, or just a bunch of cowards. We can grow to be brave and then...we could throw it all away..."

"You're not a coward, Remus." Lily interrupted sternly, and when he continued to fiddle with the bottle she reached to snatch it away from him. "You're one of the bravest people I've ever met."

Carrie watched the young wizard bow his head, hair flopping forward into his eyes.

"I don't feel very brave." he admitted as Lily set the bottle down beside her and reaching to lay a comforting hand upon his arm. "Ever since we got on the train this morning...ever since we set foot outside of the school gates, I..." he trailed off, shaking his head as he drew in a deep breath to tell her: "Sometimes I feel so terribly afraid...so completely helpless...and then I think...I think that can't be right. I can't be frightened, I'm supposed to be brave. People are always telling me I'm brave...Mum and Dad in every letter they sent when I was at school, Madam Pomfrey every month at full moon, even Dumbledore when he called me into his office last week. Well what if they're all wrong? What if...what if there's something wrong with me? What if...what if I'm not brave at all? I feel so utterly frightened of life...they must be wrong, they can't be right...I swear, Lily, I'm getting worse by the day..."

"In which case," Lily said, hand reaching to grasp hold of his own, her fingers wrapping firmly around it, "they're all right. You're getting braver by the day too. You're more afraid, yes, but you've not fallen to pieces yet, have you? Isn't that the definition of bravery, Remus?"

Remus gazed over at his other friends to spot James and Sirius midway through an arm-wrestling contest of some form or another, and at the sight of them he sighed heavily again.

"The worst part is," Carrie heard him murmur to Lily, "I feel much braver when you four are with me. Much, much braver. And then...and then you all go home and I feel such dread at you leaving me...like I'm going to crumble there and then. And then I feel silly...like...like a baby, or something."

"We're all babies, Remus." Lily pointed out, nudging him in the ribs with a reassuring smile. "James doesn't know how to use the washing machine, some mornings Sirius is seemingly incapable of dressing himself and Peter can't slice bread straight. They've little if no chance of surviving out in the big wide world themselves!"

"You forgot yourself." Remus reminded her, and before she could say a word he added: "You can't tie your own shoelaces. You asked me to do it for you the other day because you say they always come undone."

"Exactly." Lily grinned, stifling a snigger. "I couldn't live without you, Remus, none of us could. We all need one another. And that's not childish, it's just called being human."

There was a long, thoughtful pause before Remus mumbled:

"I like that. Being human."

It was at that moment that Carrie became distracted by Teddy leaning to whisper in her ear.

"We're going to have to tell him, you know."

Carrie felt a small lurch of alarm in her stomach as she turned to regard her friend with wide eyes.

"What?"

"We're going to have to tell him we're from the future. Tonight."

"So soon? Is that...a good idea?"

"Well we need to tell somebody the truth, Carrie. Otherwise we're going to be spending the night out here, not to mention we don't have any blankets or food or anything."

Carrie reached to pick thoughtfully at the blades of grass in front of her with a deep frown.

"Well," she said, puffing her cheeks apprehensively. "I suppose now's a good a time as any."

They waited some minutes until Lily went to join the others in their antics, leaving Remus to sit and watch them alone. Carrie got slowly to her feet and followed Teddy cautiously over to the young werewolf's side, and the two of them dropped down to sit beside him without invitation.

"Hi." Teddy greeted, do his very best to sound casual, and Carrie plastered what she hoped was a friendly smile across her face.

Remus glanced sideways at them with a vague smile of his own.

"Hello," he greeted, leaning back against the tree trunk as he went back to watching his friends.

"Nice weather we're having, isn't it?" Carrie said, ignoring the look that Teddy shot her at the question because she rather supposed they ought make polite conversation of some kind first, and there was no conversation politer than that regarding the weather.

"It is, rather." Remus agreed, and despite his bemusement, Teddy nodded his agreement.

"I love the summer." Carrie went on, though she wasn't entirely sure why. "It's my absolute favorite time of the year."

"I always liked autumn the best." Remus admitted, and Teddy seemed to grasp the need for pointless conversation too for he asked:

"Why's that?"

Remus' eyes drifted closed with a small sigh.

"Because it meant the end of the summer holidays," he recalled, fingers tapping against the bottle that he had retrieved from Lily once again, "and the longest amount of time before the next ones started."

Carrie felt a sad, sinking sensation in her stomach, but Teddy merely said:

"I like school too. Hogwarts is wonderful, isn't it? You were in Gryffindor, weren't you? Me too."

"I don't remember seeing you." Remus told him, opening his eyes again, sounding vaguely apologetic, and the metamorphmagus mumbled:

"No...I don't suppose you would do."

"What House are you in?" Remus asked Carrie, and the muggle felt strangely nervous to admit:

"I'm not. I don't go to Hogwarts. I'm...I'm a muggle." At the werewolf's clear surprise she found herself adding: "I'm not Joshua's sister, either. Not really..."

"Listen," Teddy said hurriedly, clasping his hands nervously together in his lap. "It's dangerous here, isn't it? I mean...everywhere is, because of Voldemort."

Remus flinched.

"I mean...You-Know-Who." Teddy amended hurriedly as the older boy's expression darkened. "And everybody has to be careful, you know, about who they can trust. And...and Cleo and I...well, we think you seem um...very trustworthy, so...so we have something to tell you. We were hoping you might be able to help us."

Remus turned to regard Teddy with a deeply curious look.

"There aren't many people, especially young ones, who call Him by his name." he observed warily, and Teddy explained:

"That's because we've never had to fear him."

"We all have reason to fear him. What makes you different?" Remus asked, and Carrie watched his hand slowly reach into his pocket.

He was just drawing his wand when Teddy hurriedly told him:

"We're not with him! We're not...Death Eaters or...or related to Death Eaters or anything like that! Far from it!"

The wand remained in the werewolf's hand.

"Who are you?" he asked, and it might have seemed like a perfectly normal question had Carrie not been aware that he had the wand subtly trained upon Teddy's chest.

"My name's Joshua." Teddy said calmly, hands held up a little in surrender. "I'm a wizard and this is Cleo, she's a muggle and she lives next door to me. We've...had a bit of an accident, and we want you to help us fix things..."

"Why me?" Remus interrupted, still suspicious. "Why would you want me to help you? I've never met you before in my life, why would you pick a complete and utter stranger..."

"We do know you." Teddy said, and Carrie drew breath to hurriedly interrupt, only for him to amend: "We know _of_ you."

Remus looked positively alarmed by this revelation, and he glanced over towards his friends, as if considering making a sudden bid for freedom. Teddy hurriedly shoved a hand into his own pocket and withdrew the broken time-turner.

"We're not from this time." the boy finally announced, and with that he held the metallic object out for the werewolf's inspection. When Remus' eyes widened in shock and he drew a deep breath to speak, Teddy added: "You can't tell anybody!" And with that, he shoved the object back into his pocket.

There was a long silence as Remus simply stared at them, unable to know quite what to say.

"Now...now we can't tell you anything about the future, obviously," Teddy went on, voice little more than a whisper, "and we can't even tell you why...why we've chosen you to help us. But the fact of the matter is that we know that we can trust you, and we've no chance of fixing this time turner and getting back to our own time on our own. So...so what do you think? Will...will you help us, please?"

There was another long silence. Carrie watched Remus' eyebrows knit together as he no doubt went over the whole bizarre situation in his mind, thinking, puzzling, theorizing, and the action was so like that of his adult self that Carrie found herself smiling.

The smile was instantly wiped from her face when Remus concluded:

"This is dangerous. You're dangerous."

"What?" Carrie said, utterly bemused, and Remus reached to rake a worried hand through his hair before leaning in towards the two time travelers, voice dropping to little more than a hiss.

"Do you have any idea," the werewolf whispered, causing Carrie's heart to quicken in her chest, "what Voldemort would do if he knew you were here? Do you have any idea what could happen if he were to find out about the future?"

"We wouldn't ever tell him anything." Carrie found herself mumbling, though she felt suddenly sick at the thought and beside her Teddy visibly shuddered.

"We wouldn't have to." the metamorphmagus told her grimly, and Remus gave a stiff nod. He opened his mouth to say something else, only for a loud voice to shout:

"What are you three whispering about, then?"

"Not a word to the others." Remus muttered, and with that he looked up at his approaching friends to find James practically dragging Sirius along, an arm slung around his shoulders.

"We're going to take Padfoot home, Moony." James announced, grinning broadly as Remus scrambled to his feet. "He's utterly wasted."

"I'm wasted on you, mate, that's for sure!" Sirius half-shouted, and with that he burst out into hysterical laughter.

"Leaky Cauldron for lunch tomorrow, how about it?" James asked, elbowing Sirius in the ribs in an attempt to shut him up. "Padfoot's buying!" he added with an exaggerated wink.

"Of course Remus is coming!" Lily said as she stepped around the two boys and hurried forward to throw her arms around Remus' neck. Carrie watched her press a kiss to his cheek as she told him: "We'll see you there at noon."

"Alright then." Remus murmured distractedly, giving her a brief one-armed hug before she drew away from him and returned to James' side, reaching to take hold of him by the hand. "And when Padfoot throws up all over your carpet, don't say I didn't tell you so."

Teddy and Carrie got to their feet to offer their own goodbyes and before long Peter had reached to sling Sirius' free arm around his shoulders too and the four of them disappeared with a soft pop.

Remus turned to regard the two time travelers with another deep frown, before Carrie asked:

"Can't you trust your friends? To help, I mean? Surely the more people who know about us..."

"The more chance Voldemort has of finding out about you." Remus interrupted, shaking his head vigorously. "Knowledge is a dangerous thing. I won't risk my friends for that, no matter how loyal they are. Ignorance is safe. Like Joshua says...He can make you tell. No, there's only one person I would ever dream of telling about you..."

CRACK!

At the sudden noise, Remus spun on his heel towards its source, raising his wand...

Only to lower it again with an audible sigh of relief as he identified:

"Professor Dumbledore!"

And so it was that Carrie first laid eyes upon the famous wizard who she had heard so many stories and tales about. Albus Dumbledore was a tall man with long silver hair and an equally long and silver beard. He was dressed in long robes of a deep midnight blue and a light summer traveling cloak of darkest grey. As Remus hurried forward to greet him, the Headmaster of Hogwarts peered at him through a pair of half moon spectacles that were perched upon his long, crooked nose and his expression was distinctly grim. Carrie watched him reach into the deep folds of his robes to retrieve an envelope, and as Remus reached him, a small smile tugged at the older wizard's lips.

"Good Evening, Remus." Dumbledore greeted, glancing skyward at the darkening sky above them. "Good Evening, sir."

"Indeed it is a very good evening, the weather is growing mild..."

Teddy leant to whisper in Carrie's ear.

"That envelope contains Dad's NEWT results." he predicted as Dumbledore turned to lead Remus off towards his house. "And he's about to ask him to join the Order of the Phoenix."

Carrie's eyes widened in surprise.

"He's going to ask him that now?" she hissed back as they watched the two wizards come to a halt halfway down the garden path, Dumbledore leaning closer so that he could speak in a whisper. "But...but he's only just come back from school! Isn't he...isn't he a bit young to be joining the Order?"

"Probably."

"I mean...your parents...they...they'd never have let you join a...a private army if you were only eighteen!"

"Nobody would like the idea of their children joining the Order of the Phoenix, Carrie. But wizards come of age when they are seventeen, so it wouldn't matter what their parents wanted. If they wanted to join, they could join. Besides, if Dad was only eighteen he could hardly condemn me for it, that would be a tad hypercritical."

"But...Dumbledore shouldn't even ask!"

"Dumbledore didn't ask just anybody. He picked the mature ones, the clever ones...and besides, things are getting desperate. Young people have just as much cause to fight for their freedom as anybody else...remember the Battle of Hogwarts, some of the defenders were our age."

"It's...just horrible!"

"It's a different time. I doubt we'll ever truly understand it."

Dumbledore and Remus stood engaged in murmured conversation in the fading light for near on half an hour before they finally turned and began to make their way back towards the watching teenagers, and as they came to a halt before them, Dumbledore reached to lay a firm hand upon the young werewolf's shoulder, blue eyes fixing him with a piercing gaze.

"Remus." the Order Leader began firmly. "You must consider everything. Absolutely everything. Yourself, your parents, your friends...this is not a decision to be made lightly! You must make the right choice for everybody involved, for the right reasons! You need not decide upon the spot, I can give you some time..."

"No." Remus interrupted, staring the professor squarely in the eye. "No, I don't need any time. I'll do it. I'll join."

There was a long, almost solemn silence as Dumbledore slowly removed his hand from Remus' shoulder.

"Excellent." he proclaimed, the single word making Carrie shudder. "You will be of great value to our cause, I am sure of it. I shall be contacting Mr. Potter, Mr. Black, Mr. Pettigrew and Miss Evans tomorrow morning. In the mean time..." he glanced sideways at Teddy and Carrie, "...you know what to do."

"Yes." Remus agreed, also glancing at the two time travelers, expression distinctly grave. "I'll make a start first thing tomorrow. I'll need to...deal with a thing or two first."

"I daresay you will." Dumbledore agreed, and with that Remus told Teddy and Carrie:

"Wait here for a moment, I'll be right back." And with that, he turned and strode purposefully off towards the house.

Albus Dumbledore took another small step forward, and Carrie found herself being scrutinized in silence for a moment before the wizard turned his piercing blue eyes upon Teddy. After another long moment in which both children wondered if they ought say something, Dumbledore's lips curved into a broad smile.

"What is your name, young man?" the professor inquired, and Teddy drew in a deep, almost nervous breath and said:

"Joshua, sir. Joshua...Smith."

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow.

"Fascinating." he concluded, and before either of them could inquire as to what was fascinating, he had reached to pull his cloak more firmly about his shoulders before saying: "Goodnight to you both then. And it was a pleasure to meet you, Master Lupin."

And with that, as both Carrie and Teddy's eyes bulged in surprise, Albus Dumbledore disapparated in a swish of his cloak.


	9. The Flirt and the Thief

_Note: I am now officially on Easter Break! So with any luck I might update a bit more often! I've completed a chapter of the 4th in this series...but I won't be uploading it until this is over! So...you could have a long wait!_

_This chapter is dedicated to **yellow 14**, for some very kind reviews of this series and for adding Meet the Marauders to the community Loving the Lupins! (I assume that was your doing, either you or Loads of Randomness, I suspect...) So, thank you very much! You've brightened my day! _

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter._

**9: The Flirt and the Thief**

As she sat at the small kitchen table, steaming cup of tea set down in front of her, Carrie Winters watched John and Rhea Lupin fuss over a biscuit barrel, murmuring curiously to one another, occasionally shooting the odd glance over their shoulders at their two guests.

"They don't want us here." Teddy guessed under his breath, but before Carrie could say anything her attention was drawn to the narrow staircase to their right as Remus hurried down into the kitchen and announced:

"I've changed the sheets, so you can sleep in my bed, Cleo, Joshua can cake the sofa and I'll sleep on the floor..."

"Remus." John interrupted meaningfully, and at the questioning look that he was offered in return, Rhea pointed out:

"We've not said they can stay yet, Sweetheart."

Remus was seemingly nonplussed.

"They're staying." he insisted, causing John to frown deeply.

"Son, in my house..." he began, only for Remus to announce:

"Well we'll go and stay at James' house then. It'll be a squeeze, but we'll manage..."

"We've nothing against them, darling," Rhea said, offering the visitors an apologetic smile, "it's just...well...we don't know them and...well...!" Her eyes widened meaningfully and Remus seemed to grasp what she meant, for he said:

"It's alright, they'll be gone by then. Besides, they need to stay here, it's very important."

"It is...?" Rhea said, as John frowned deeply, and Remus reminded them:

"Yes, I did tell you, didn't I?"

"Not really," John protested. "You're being very vague. What's going on, Remus?"

Remus pursed his lips together rather apprehensively before deciding:

"You should probably sit down first."

John and Rhea exchanged another bemused, yet rather worried glance before they both obediently sat down at the table. Once Remus had taken a seat opposite them, he reached into his pocket to draw out the envelope that Dumbledore had given him.

"I've got my NEWT results early." he announced, and whilst his parents' faces lit up in instant excitement, the young wizard's expression remained deadly serious as he told them: "I've got Outstandings for everything besides Herbology which is Acceptable..."

"That was the morning after..."

"...Professor Dumbledore delivered them to me personally."

Rhea's eyes widened in surprise and she let out an odd little squeak, clapping her hands together in delight.

"I told you!" she exclaimed happily, bouncing up and down on her heels in excitement. "Didn't I tell you, Remus? Dumbledore thinks you're talented!"

Remus did not smile.

"Yes," he agreed grimly, "I rather suppose he does."

At his tone, both of his parents stopped smiling. They looked distinctly apprehensive when Remus told them:

"Professor Dumbledore had a question for me. I have something very important to tell you. Now Mum, I don't want you to start crying..."

John leant forward in his chair as Rhea drew in a deep, worried breath, reaching to grasp hold of her husband by the hand. Remus sat straighter in his chair, hands folded purposefully together upon the scrubbed tabletop before him. There was a painfully dramatic pause before the young wizard announced:

"I'm going to join the Order of the Phoenix."

There was a distinctly stunned pause, before his mother promptly burst into hysterical tears, reaching to bury her face in her hands. John seemed oblivious to the sudden hysteria, he simply stared at his son in silence.

"Don't cry, Mum..." Remus began half-heartedly, but this only seemed to make her cry harder still.

"Not my boy!" she sobbed as John at last let out a distinctly resigned sigh. "Not my boy, not...not him! T...talk some...some sense into him, John! Don't...don't let him...don't let him throw his life away!"

"Rhea, dear, let's not overreact..." John began calmly, only for his wife to shriek:

"It's SUICIDE!"

Remus reached to bury his face in his hands with a sigh.

"Mum...for the love of Merlin..."

"Remus." John interrupted, shooting him a warning look before turning to his wife and reaching to put an arm around her. "Listen, darling, Remus isn't a little boy anymore, let's just...listen to what he has to say..."

"Who does Dumbledore think he is?" Rhea complained, voice a strained whisper. "Putting...putting grand ideas in...in our son's head?"

"It's not a grand idea, Mum..."

"What have we been telling you all these years? Keep your head down!"

Remus' hands fell back to the table with a loud slap, making both Carrie and his mother jump.

"We can't all stick our heads in the sand, Mum!" he cried, eyes wide in annoyance. "How do you suppose we're to overcome Voldemort if nobody is prepared to stand up to him? Dumbledore says the Order's losing, he says they need more members..."

"More canon-fodder, more like." John muttered disapprovingly as Rhea dissolved into tears once again. "Do you have any idea what it's like, Remus, to fight in a WAR? Because I'm telling you now, this isn't school! We're not talking about dueling club on a Saturday morning..."

"How do you know what we're talking about, Dad? You've never fought in a war, either!"

John's eyes widened furiously and he opened and closed his mouth a few times, too appalled by the comment to know quite what to say, only for his anger to diminish somewhat when his son told him:

"You're supposed to be proud of me."

John leant across the table, reaching to lay a hand upon the werewolf's arm.

"You misunderstand me, Remus." he said, sighing heavily. "I've never been prouder. I'm simply concern that you...that you don't fully understand what it is that you are doing...or perhaps that you understand perfectly well and yet you are still determined to do it...my son is not a child anymore. You have no idea how...how utterly petrifying that is for me."

Remus offered him a rather right-lipped smile, only for it to fade from his face when Rhea complained:

"This is...this all much too...much too fast!" The witch sat straighter in her chair and fixed her son with a distinctly accusing look.

"There's not much time to do things slowly." Remus pointed out grimly, but she shook her head vigorously.

"What's Dumbledore said to you? What...what has he done?"

"Rhea, dear..."

"No, John! He's...he's done something! Said something! He must have done! My...my Remus wouldn't just...just join the Order of the Phoenix on...on a whim!"

"It's not a whim, Mum!"

"Is it because it's Dumbledore asking? I know we say we owe him a lot for what he has done for you, Remus, but you don't owe him this much! You don't owe him your life!"

"No, Mum, it's got nothing to do with that! I'm doing it because..."

"Oh Merlin...it's not because of...of _him_, is it? _He's_ a Death Eater, isn't he? You're not...you're not just going after him, are you? Because revenge isn't the answer! Tell him, John!"

"It's got nothing to do with that!"

"Are you sure? Because..."

"Rhea, for goodness sake!" John cried, hands clasping fistfuls of hair in exasperation. "Stop and listen to him, for the love of Merlin!"

At long last, silence fell over the kitchen, and Remus drew a deep, calming breath before telling his parents:

"I'm going to join because I want to stand up for what is right, I want to make a difference, and I believe that it doesn't matter how desperate or hopeless it all seems, I'll fight for the greater good anyway. And if the Order fails, if everything is lost and Voldemort is triumphant or...or if I die...well...well at least I did my very best. At least I'll never have any regrets. And that's it. That's all. I'm not seeking revenge, I'm not paying off a debt to Dumbledore, I'm not looking for an adventure, and I'm not doing it for the glory. And if you're not proud and just think I'm suicidal, well I don't care because I'm not doing it to make you proud, either. I'm simply doing what I believe is right. And there is absolutely nothing that you can say that will change my mind or convince me that I'm wrong."

Both John and Rhea looked somewhat awe-struck by this firm declaration, indeed Carrie was sure that she and Teddy looked very similar. The muggle found herself with a strange urge to jump to her feet and throw her arms around the Order of the Phoenix's newest member, but she remained stock still, an attempt to be invisible. She couldn't help but feel that she and Teddy were intruding on a pivotal moment in Remus' life, that they ought not be there, but neither Remus nor his parents appeared to notice that she and Teddy were still in the room.

At long last, John cleared his throat loudly and declared:

"Well said, son."

And with that, Rhea burst into tears again, leaning to bury her face in her arms upon the table.

"She's very proud of you." John supplied on her behalf, and Remus murmured:

"I'm sure she is."

An hour later, after a few more cups of tea, a few rounds of sandwiches and a large slab of Victoria Sponge cake, Carrie and Teddy found themselves upstairs in Remus' bedroom, watching the werewolf sort through stack after stack of books that were piled up against the walls of the cramped little room.

"I've not even seen a real time turner before," Remus admitted as he dumped one pile of volumes into a corner and reached for the next teetering tower. "Let alone used one...I have no idea how they work...or how to fix them!"

"I'm sure you can figure it out." Teddy assured him from his position perched upon the edge of the bed, and as he rose to his feet and went to kneel beside his father's younger self Carrie heard him mutter: "You always do."

"Are you looking for one book in particular?" Carrie asked as she too went to kneel upon the floor, and Remus told her:

"Not exactly. Just...any that might be useful. There won't be many, time travel's never interested me all that much."

What did appear to interest Remus' eighteen year old self, Carrie discovered as she began to examine the pile of books to her left, were all manner of magical creatures, especially the rather grizzly ones, and countless volumes about Defense Against the Dark Arts. There wasn't a work of fiction in sight. By the time they had gone through the vast collection, some of which Carrie was sure that she had seen in the Lupins' study back in her own time, it had grown pitch black outside and the silvery moon was casting an eerie light through the bedroom window.

A soft knock upon the door drew the trio's attention, and as Carrie looked up, Rhea Lupin's head appeared around the door.

"I've made two beds up in the sitting room." she announced, apparently over her earlier hysteria for she offered her visitors a bright smile. "Your father says you're to keep the noise down, Remus, we're going to bed." She was just ducking back out of the doorway when her son made her pause:

"Mum?"

The witch offered him a questioning look, only for a deep frown to crease her brow when he asked:

"Can I borrow twenty galleons?"

She gave a distinctly unamused chuckle.

"What on earth do you need twenty galleons for?"

"Books..." Remus began, but before he could explain any further her eyes had widened irritably as she repeated:

"Books...? For goodness sake, Remus! How many books can one boy possibly need?"

"An unlimited supply. At least that's what you're always telling Dad."

"Yes but...twenty galleons' worth?"

"What's all this fuss?" John's voice called from over his wife's shoulder, reaching to push the door further open.

"Your son seems to think I have twenty galleons for him to spend on books." Rhea informed him as Remus scrambled to his feet and folded his arms across his chest in a distinctly defensive manner.

"Does he now?" John said, and with that he stepped around his wife, into the room, and reached to put a firm hand upon his son's shoulder. "Downstairs." he instructed firmly, only for Remus to explain:

"I need it for...for Order work. I'm sure Professor Dumbledore will pay you back."

"Yes, well," John said, grip upon the young wizard's shoulder tightening. "If Dumbledore thinks you can _read_ You-Know-Who into submission, he can come here and give you twenty galleons himself!"  
And with that, he half-dragged Remus out onto the landing, pulling the door shut behind him.

Teddy instantly jumped to his feet and Carrie followed his lead, both leaning to press their ears against the door.

"...and you know full well that we don't have twenty KNUTS to give you, let alone galleons!"

"Yes, but Dad..."

"But nothing, Remus! For the love of Merlin, why even ask?"

"Well...I'll ask James and Sirius..."

"YOU MOST CERTAINLY WILL NOT! I...I won't have people think...I won't have them think that I can't look after my own family!"

"Well obviously nobody thinks that, Dad, but they're my best friends, they know we're...not rich. James lends me money all the time..."

"I hope you pay him back!"

"Well...not really..."

"REMUS JOHN LUPIN!"

"He doesn't let me! Besides, what else do you suggest I do? What am I going to do when you and Mum aren't here anymore? Get a job and look after myself, I suppose? No! And how bloody long do you think my inheritance will keep me? Five years, maybe..."

"That is ENOUGH!"

"I'm just saying, Dad, there's not a whole lot of room in all this for your inflated sense of pride."

There was a long, shocked silence before John finally asked:

"What in Merlin's name has happened to my son? I didn't raise you to be so utterly rude and disrespectful! Ever since you've come back from school you've been behaving APPALLINGLY! You've answered me back more times in the past evening than you have in the past EIGHTEEN YEARS!"

There was a long silence before Remus attempted to make his father see sense once again:

"Listen, Dad...I know this seems utterly ridiculous to you...but...but it really is very important that I get these books...Dumbledore says..."

"I've said it once and I'll say it again: if Dumbledore wants you to buy books he can come and give you the money himself!"

"He's very busy..."

"In which case it really can't be that important now, can it? Now go to bed!"

And that, Carrie supposed as she heard the door of John and Rhea's bedroom being slammed shut, was that.

Breakfast the next morning was a very quiet affair that saw Carrie, Teddy and Remus sat around the kitchen table as Rhea served them each a generous bowlful of porridge. When the witch finally took a seat beside Teddy and reached for her spoon, a long silence was finally broken as she asked:

"So...what's the big plan for today then?"

Remus mumbled incoherently into his glass of orange juice.

"That sounds nice." Rhea decided, full of false cheer, and they continued to eat in silence for a long few minutes, until John came stomping down the stairs, casting a distinctly bad-tempered glance at his family and guests as he made a beeline for the coffee pot upon the stove.

"Bath taps are jammed again." the wizard muttered as he poured himself a generous mugful of steaming hot liquid. "Fix it for your mother today, won't you Remus? I'm late for work. There's a good book in the attic somewhere if you get stuck...if one's good enough for you."

Remus began shoveling porridge into his mouth as quickly as he could manage and, though she wasn't quite sure why, Carrie felt compelled to follow suite. Once John had guzzled half a mug of coffee and disappeared back upstairs, Rhea set down her spoon, sighing heavily.

"You won't take any notice of him, will you Sweetheart?" she said as Remus threw down his own spoon in triumph, breakfast finished, before getting hurriedly to his feet. "You know how he gets this time of year...what with the inspections at work..."

"Mm." Remus mumbled, apparently not really listening as the two time travelers abandoned their food and got to their feet too. "We'll be back after lunch." the young werewolf announced, reaching to snatch up a worn looking green jumper off the back of his chair. "Then I'll um...fix the taps for you."

"Just make sure you do it before Dad gets back from work." his mother insisted as he stepped around the table to drop a kiss atop her head. "Remind me, where are you going?"

"Diagon Alley." Remus said, turning to stride briskly towards the door.

"You be careful, Remus, you hear?" Rhea called after him, "I mean it, don't get into any trouble! It's not the same there these days, you know, and I just...I just couldn't stand it if...well...!"

"Don't start crying, Mum." Remus called over his shoulder, and Carrie hurriedly said:

"Thank you for breakfast, Mrs. Lupin."

"You're very welcome, dear!" Rhea announced, voice rising a pitch or two as she reached to dab at her eyes with the sleeve of her blouse.

"For the love of Merlin, Rhea, what did I say about crying all over him morning noon and night?" John's voice asked irritably as he came stomping down the stairs once again. "Have you seen my wallet? I can't find it anywhere, I could have sworn I left it on the bedside table!" He rounded on the front door just as Carrie hurried over the threshold and out into the front garden. "Remus? Have you seen it? Did you hear me? REMUS?"

"I...took it."

"You what?"

"I said I...I took it."

It was lunchtime in the Leaky Cauldron, and having trailed around all manner of second hand bookshops after a distinctly shifty-eyed Remus, Carrie and Teddy had joined the young werewolf and his numerous bags of books in the pub for lunch with Lily and the other Marauders.

Across the table, James, Lily, Peter and Sirius were all staring, their bowls of lamb hot pot seemingly forgotten.

"Let me get this straight." James said, leaning across the table to scrutinize Remus' face, narrowly avoiding dipping his sleeve in his food. "You..._you_, Moony...you've STOLEN you DAD'S wallet?"

Before Remus had time to mumble anything in his defense, Peter added:

"AND you've spent all of his money?"

Sirius slumped back in his chair, slapping his hands down upon the table as he declared:

"That's bloody priceless!" Realizing his own rather poor play on words, he dissolved into laughter. "D'you get it, guys? PRICELESS! Ha!"

"Sirius be quiet!" Lily snapped. "This is really serious!"

"I didn't steal it, I took it. That's sort of different really...isn't it?" Remus mumbled rather hopefully, frowning down at the distinctly empty-looking leather wallet that he had in his hands.

"Well...not really, to be honest mate..." James began, distinctly bemused, only for Remus to fix him with agitated eyes as he said:

"But I'm going to give it back! It's...it's more like I've borrowed it..."

"And then blown all of his hard earned money on a load of crap." Sirius finished helpfully, and Peter sniggered.

"I BORROWED the money!" Remus insisted rather loudly, causing a passing witch to glance round at him, he hastily ducked his head guiltily. "I'll pay him back...before the end of the day! Besides, Padfoot, what the bloody hell do you know about hard earned money? Don't be such a hypocrite!"

"I had a summer job once!" Sirius announced proudly, only for Remus to scowl at him and say:

"And they sacked you after half an hour! Listen...Prongs..." the werewolf turned to look at James rather hopefully. "Do you think...maybe...perhaps you could...well..."

"Spit it out, Moony mate, you want me to give you ten galleons."

"Not...exactly..."

There was a long, expectant pause before James offered the werewolf a raised eyebrow and Sirius said:

"You heard the man, Moony, spit it out!"

Remus drew in a deep breath, cleared his throat before mumbling:

"I...spent...thirty..."

"YOU SPENT THIRTY GALLEONS ON BOOKS?" Sirius cried, slapping his hands down upon the table again, making both Remus and Carrie jump.

"That's the most Moony thing to do in the whole world!" Peter observed, somewhat awed.

"You bloody idiot!" Sirius exclaimed. "Why didn't you spend it on something decent? If you want books, go to a bloody library!"

As Lily turned to glower at the dark haired wizard, James remained motionless, staring at Remus in silence.

"You know Remus can't go there, Sirius, he's told you before! They don't let...everybody in!"

"Well then he could have got one of us to go for him!" Sirius complained as James' brow creased into a deep frown.

"You wouldn't go for him, Padfoot, you're allergic to books." Peter pointed out, and the estranged Black grinned in a distinctly proud manner.

At long last, James lent across the table again, eyes piercing as he observed:

"Wormtail's wrong. Stealing thirty galleons off his dad to buy a load of books is the most un-Moony thing in the whole entire world."

Remus stared back at him, face a blank mask, and beside him, Teddy shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"Why would you do something like that?" James wondered, and Remus reddened as all eyes around the table came to rest upon him.

"I need the books."

"You're that desperate to read a bunch of books?"

"Yes..."

"What, is the world going to end if you don't read them all in time or something?"

"It's quite possible..." Remus said, and beside him, Teddy sniggered rather darkly.

"Come on, Remus!" James cried impatiently. "Don't take the piss, what's going on?"

"Dumbledore told me to do it."

"Dumbledore told you to steal your dad's wallet?"

"No, he told me to...get the books. Have you...spoken to him recently?"

Comprehending silence descended upon the table and the Marauders' eyes all seemed to suddenly light up in excitement.

"I spoke to him last night." Remus said, nodding his head to their eyes widening in question, and Lily said:

"He came to speak to us this morning."

They all took a moment to nod at one another again before Sirius' gaze came to rest upon Teddy and Carrie.

"Does Dumbledore asking you to buy a load of books have something to do with Joshua and...?" he paused, offering Carrie an apologetic look before she supplied:

"Cleo."

"Yes." Remus admitted, causing the others to eye the time travelers curiously. "But I'm not to tell you anything else about them."

"Why not?" Peter asked, sounding distinctly hurt at this exclusion, only for James to tell him:

"Because if Dumbledore reckons Remus has whatever this is covered it might be...safer if as few people as possible know about it, right Moony?"

"Exactly." Remus said, and Sirius and Lily mumbled agreement, only for Peter to ask Teddy:

"Are you on the run from You-Know-Who or Death Eaters or something like that?"

"They might well be soon if you don't shut up!" Remus snapped uncharacteristically, and Peter shrunk back in his chair as if the werewolf had struck him.

"Be careful what you say out loud in public, won't you Peter?" Lily suggested more calmly. "You know it isn't safe...one slip of the tongue within earshot of the wrong person..."

The atmosphere seemed to darken quite suddenly before James cleared his throat meaningfully and admitted:

"The thing is, Moony mate, I...well I don't have thirty galleons to give you, not right now, anyway. Dad's a bit pissed off about the carpet Sirius puked all over last night, he says I can't be trusted with money in case I blow it on a load of booze again, so he's taken my key to the vault away."

At the utterly mortified expression that materialized upon Remus' face, James shifted rather guiltily in his chair.

"Don't worry though!" he exclaimed uncertainly. "We'll get you thirty galleons, no problem!"

"Yeah right," Sirius sniggered. "You're screwed, Moony..."

"Shut up, Padfoot, he's not screwed. We'll just have to all pitch in, look, I've got..." James dug around in his pocket, drawing out a handful of coins that he flung triumphantly down upon the table.

"Two galleons, twelve sickles and three knuts." Sirius observed with a grin. "As I said, he's screwed..."

"I've got five galleons." Lily offered, tossing her purse onto the table with a bright smile, and Peter followed her lead.

"Four galleons and eight knuts." he announced as he dropped the handful of coins down.

"Cough up, Padfoot." James instructed, and Sirius puffed his cheeks and reached to draw his wallet out of his pocket.

"Couple of galleons..." he mused as he peered into the dark leather confides.

"Don't be such a tight arse." James told him, snatching the wallet from his friend's hands and upturning the contents onto the table.

They all leant in to get a good look at their efforts. Carrie didn't know the mathematics behind wizarding money, but she was pretty sure that they were far from their target.

"You should have asked us before we went shopping." Peter concluded, as James frowned deeply.

"I'm screwed." Remus decided, only for Lily to tell him:

"No you're not. Come to Gringotts with me, I'll lend you the rest."

And so it was that ten minutes later, Lily and Remus left to go to the bank, leaving Carrie and Teddy with James, Sirius and Peter. After a while Teddy began to chatter away to James and Sirius about his various hobbies, which both Marauders commented seemed rather similar to the one Marauder now absent from the table, and Carrie was left to gaze uncertainly across at Peter, who was staring straight back at her, smiling awkwardly. The muggle wasn't quite sure what to say to the future traitor, because no matter what Teddy had said, she didn't feel comfortable talking to him. Apparently he was not terribly comfortable talking to her either, for it took him several minutes of staring before he finally plucked up the courage to tell her:

"I like your necklace."

Carrie glanced down at the beads in question and managed to smile brightly.

"Thank you."

"Where did you get it?"

"My aunt bought it for me for Christmas."

"Cool."

More awkward silence. Carrie supposed it was her turn to make polite conversation, so she asked:

"So...do you guys come here for lunch much in the summer? I um...I think it's nice here."

"We come here quite a lot." Peter told her, fiddling with the buttons upon his shirt. "We liked the Goblin's Head better, only Remus isn't allo...OUCH!"

Sirius withdrew his foot from it's vicious attack on Peter's shin before seamlessly continuing with the story he was in the middle of telling Teddy.

Carrie pretended to be very interested in the blackboard behind the bar, in front of which the hunchbacked barman was busy serving a butterbeer to a dumpy wizard wearing a top hat.

"Have you ever tried the pea soup?" she asked as she gazed at the pub's lunchtime menu.

"No...Sirius did once though, for a bet." Peter said, glad that his blunder had been ignored.

"Is it that bad, then?"

"You have no idea."

Once again, the pair fell into awkward silence. Carrie reached to fiddle with a stray strand of hair, winding it around her index finger.

"You've got very pretty hair, you know." Peter mumbled, and Carrie paused in her fiddling to stare at him.

"Pardon?"

"I said...I said you've got very pretty hair..." Peter mumbled again, quieter than ever, but just about loud enough for Sirius to hear him and pause in his story. Twisting in his seat, the young Black fixed Peter with wide, shocked eyes.

"What did you just say?" he cried, and Peter's face flushed pink in embarrassment.

"Wormtail," James said, leaning to look past Sirius to stare too, "are you attempting to FLIRT with poor Cleo here?"

"N...no..."

"HA!"

"Wait until we tell Moony!"

"I...I'm...I'm really not..."

"I think he needs a few lessons in subtlety, don't you think, Prongs?"

"Not off of you, Padfoot. You wouldn't know subtlety if it walked up and slapped you in the face!"

As the laughter and jeering grew loud enough to draw the disapproving looks of the people sat at nearby tables, Carrie felt Teddy shift beside her until he could whisper in her ear.

"You look like you've seen a boggart." he hissed. "Are you alright?"

Carrie opened her mouth to reply, only for Sirius to spot Remus and Lily making their way across the room.

"MOOOOOONY! Wormtail's attempting to flirt and he's even more crap at it than you are!"

"Did he make the fatal mistake of opening with _Alright Hot Stuff?_ like you usually do?" Remus asked as he paused to let Lily squeeze past him and back into her seat.

"_Alright Hot Stuff, do you want some Sirius action?_" James mimicked with a shout of laughter, and Sirius let out a snort.

"I'll have you know that that line works every single time!" he declared as Remus stooped to gather up his countless bags full of books by Carrie's feet.

"Yes, Padfoot." the werewolf agreed as he straightened up. "If the objective every time is to get yourself slapped in the face." Ignoring Sirius' scowl, he told them all: "I have to go home, I promised my mum I'd fix the taps in the bathroom."

"We'll come with you!" James decided brightly, practically jumping to his feet. "Sirius and I want to stay out of my parents' way for a bit...they're still annoyed about the carpet! Are you coming, Wormtail?"

The scarlet faced boy mumbled that yes, he certainly would.

And so the afternoon was spent lounging around outside of the Lupins' house, just like the night beforehand, and Carrie took it upon herself to demonstrate to the Marauders the basic rules of muggle football, whilst Remus sat under a nearby tree and began to read the first of his many new books on time travel.

It was approximately three o'clock when Carrie was distracted by her futile attempts to referee the shambolic game by the front door of the dilapidated cottage over the way being opened, and the girl that she and Teddy had first spotted in Diagon Alley stepped outside, pulling the door shut behind her. Carrie hurriedly returned her attention to the game, not wanting to be caught staring, only for a voice at her elbow a minute later to say:

"Excuse me?"

Carrie turned to find the girl stood before her, smiling somewhat nervously.

"Hello," the girl greeted as Carrie looked her up and down. "My name is Anya, my family just moved in over there." She waved a hand over her shoulder towards the house. "Do you know the way to the next village? I've been sent to buy the shopping, only my brother Aristo says I'm not to apparate, because of the muggles. I'd hate to get lost in the woods!"

Carrie glanced over at the woods, utterly clueless.

"I've no idea how to get there." she admitted. "I don't live around here." Turning back to the girl she added: "I'm Cleo, by the way, I'm...staying with a friend."

At Anya's deep frown that seemed to make her thin, pointed face look even bonier than ever, Carrie glanced around searchingly until she spotted a certain werewolf sat under a tree.

And it was then that Carrie Winters made her next fatal mistake.

"You should ask Remus over there." she told Anya, pointing over in the young werewolf's direction. "He lives here, he's bound to know the way. I expect he'd walk you there himself if you asked him nicely."


	10. Skimming Stones

_Note: Thanks very much to my reviewers! You are all very kind!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter._

**10: Skimming Stones **

It was the morning of Carrie and Teddy's fifth day in 1979, and Carrie had to admit that things were beginning to get repetitive. Remus' mother would wake her each morning and Carrie would get dressed into some of the clothes that Lily had lent her by Remus' request. She, Teddy and Remus would eat breakfast at the kitchen table, and at half past eight every morning there would be a knock upon the front door.

Why exactly it was that Anya's parents felt the need to send their daughter to the nearest village store every single morning was a complete and utter mystery to both Carrie and Teddy, as was the reason why Anya felt the need to ask Remus to escort her there every time. Carrie was sure that she must know her way through the woods on her own by now, and the shopping bags could not be all that heavy if she went every day. Despite this, Remus had gone with her every morning, returning increasingly later each day, and this had not gone unnoticed by the other Marauders, who had seemingly chosen Remus' house as their primary place to meet up, since Mr. and Mrs. Potter had yet to get the vomit-stains out of their carpet, (Carrie dreaded to think exactly what Sirius had drunk to cause such an awful mess).

"Have you snogged her yet?" Sirius had inquired the evening beforehand, as they had all sat before the empty fireplace in the Lupins' sitting room, and Lily and shot him a revolted look, causing him to shrug innocently and point out: "Well it has been three whole days!"

"Shut up, Padfoot." Remus had murmured from his position sprawled upon the floor, peering down at the game of chess that he was having with Teddy. "It's...not like that."

"You liar!" Sirius had declared, grinning wickedly. "I bet you have! I bet you five galleons you have! Up against a tree in those woods out back..."

"I said it's not like that!" Remus had snapped, turning to glare so furiously that he had sent a number of his chess pieces flying from the board with a series of indignant shouts.

Sirius had held his hands up in mock-innocence.

"Alright, alright!" he'd cried, smirking for all he was worth. "If you say so! It's not like that!"

Remus had barely turned back to his game before Sirius had turned to Peter with an audible snigger and muttered all too loudly:

"I'm telling you, Wormtail, tongues and everything..."

"SHUT UP!" Remus had cried, this time sending the entire chessboard skidding across the carpet, making Teddy jump midway through reaching to move his remaining bishop. And to Carrie's shock, the young werewolf had jumped to his feet and stormed across the room to the back door, flinging it open and disappearing outside.

His friends had watched him go with a variety of exasperated and concerned expressions.

"Don't tease him about girls, Padfoot." James had muttered wearily. "You know what he's like."

"I'm right though, aren't I? About him and that girl?" Sirius had mused, and Lily had slumped against James' shoulder, sighing heavily.

"Of course not, Sirius, we don't all attempt to tongue-wrestle the first person we come across like you, especially not Remus."

"Well I know that, but...but he likes her, doesn't he?"

"What does it matter?" James had said, reaching to put an arm around Lily's shoulders. "He can think she's his One and Only True Love for all the good it'll do, he's not going to ask her out, or any girl for that matter, let alone bloody kiss her! Especially if he likes her!"

"Give it time." Lily had insisted resolutely. "One of these days somebody's going to knock those damning notions from his head entirely, and when they do, there'll be wedding bells."

"I wouldn't go that bloody far!" Sirius had muttered, causing Peter to snigger, and Teddy had smiled and murmured under his breath:

"I bloody would."

Remus and Anya's trip to the shops the next day had taken them near on an hour, and by the time Carrie and Teddy had spotted them walking back through the trees towards the cottages, James and Sirius had arrived and were sat upon the ramshackle wall with the two time travelers

"What I want to know," Sirius had said as the four of them openly stared at the approaching duo, who were strolling along side by side, she laughing at whatever it was that he had just said, "is if they've been to the shops...where's the shopping?"

"Don't say anything, Padfoot." James had warned, but almost as soon as Anya had disappeared inside her house, leaving Remus to wander up the road towards them, Sirius shouted:

"Oi! What happened to the shopping?"

"Dragon ate it." Remus called back, and when Sirius pulled a face at him, the werewolf said: "It's none of your business."

"Is it because you've been up to unspeakable things in the woods that might make Cleo here blush?" Sirius wanted to know with a grin.

When he finally came to a halt, Remus pushed Sirius backwards off the wall.

"As a matter of fact," he said as the estranged Black let out a groan and set about heaving himself back onto his feet, "we were up to unspeakable things, but only the sort that would make you blush. After all, having a simple conversation with a friend who just so happens to be a girl is completely and utterly unspeakable to you, isn't it Padfoot?"

Sirius grumbled something under his breath as James commented:

"You've not told us much about this friend of yours. Looks to me like the two of you are already thick as thieves."

"Maybe." Remus mumbled evasively, but despite his reluctance, he seemed to be grinning like the Cheshire cat. "Let me get some stuff from inside, then we can get going."

As they watched him walk back to the cottage, Sirius sighed heavily.

"Oh Merlin," he complained, "Moony making friends...it's going to be bloody painful."

"I don't see why he shouldn't!" Carrie announced indignantly, and to her surprise, Sirius did not mock her.  
"Of course he should make friends, I'm not saying that." he said, "it's just...well..."

Carrie watched him exchange a glance with James, and before she could stop herself she found herself telling them:

"We know about him, you know. We know he's a werewolf."

There was a long silence as James and Sirius stared at Carrie and Teddy, attempting not to look too shocked, before they exchanged another glance.

"Dumbledore told us." Teddy decided, and Carrie nodded her head in agreement. "And we don't care. We don't mind, not at all."

"Well," James said, smiling brightly, "that makes a nice change, doesn't it Padfoot?"

"Yeah, it does."

"But the thing is, Cleo, Joshua...I don't know how much you two know about werewolves, but...but one thing about them is that there aren't many people like you and me, people who don't care about what they are. And that's why watching Remus is bloody painful, as Sirius puts it. If he tries to make friends the vast majority of people want nothing to do with him, they'd probably not spit on him if he was on fire, and if he does manage to make a half decent friend he panics that it won't last, because if they turn out to be like all the rest...well, that's pretty crushing."

"In fact," Sirius said, frowning deeply, "I don't think he's ever been so sure about a friend besides one of us like this ever...did you see him grinning?"

At the sound of the front door of the Lupins' cottage opening again, James looked up to watch Remus approaching, a small rucksack slung over his shoulder.

"Yeah well," James murmured as he reached to push his glasses up his nose. "She better not screw him around like everybody else...I won't have it, I'm telling you..."

"Talking about me again, are you?" Remus said as he came to a halt before them, one eyebrow raised, and James reached to grab hold of him by the arm, pulling him forward.

"Sit down, Moony mate, we need to have a chat." he said as he yanked the young werewolf down to sit beside him. "First things first, Cleo and Joshua have something they need to tell you."

"We do...?" Teddy said with a frown, only for Sirius to announce:

"Don't freak out or anything, Moony, but they know all about your furry little problem."

The expression that materialised upon Remus' face suggested that freaking out was precisely what he was about to do.

"O...oh...oh Merlin..."

"It's alright, Remus, they don't care." James assured him calmly, but Remus didn't seem to hear him.

"I...I um...I don't...I mean...um..."

"Deep breaths, Moony..."

"Don't take the piss, Padfoot..."

"I'm not taking the piss, he's going purple..."

James got hurriedly to his feet and turned to scrutinize the werewolf, eyes widening.

"Bloody hell, you're right!" he exclaimed as Sirius too got to his feet.

"Come on, Remus!" Sirius announced loudly, stooping to grab one of the panicked boy's arms and slinging it around his shoulders, James taking hold of the other, "We're going to meet Peter and Lily by the lake!"

As they hoisted the werewolf up onto his feet and began a stumbling progression off up the road, Carrie and Teddy shuffling along behind them, Remus finally managed to mumble:

"I um...I don't think I...I mean...I want to go home..."

"Tough luck, Moony, you're coming with us. We're going to the lake, Cleo and Joshua are coming with us, and we're all going to have a good laugh...except you, you're probably going to bury your nose in a book..."

"Do you think they should move him when he's hyperventilating?" Carrie hissed in Teddy's ear, but Teddy was too busy observing the sorry looking scene to say anything.

When Remus' mumbling protests became all too much for him, Sirius ducked out from under the werewolf's arm and dropped back to walk along beside the time travelers, leaving James to mumble reassurances that seemed to be falling on deaf ears.  
"Don't take it personally, he never used to get quite this freaked out." Sirius told them in an undertone as they left the path and began to walk through the woods. "I mean, people have found out before, obviously, and it used to make him panic, but...never like this. He's not been the same, not since last summer."

"Why's that?" Carrie asked, as Teddy frowned down at his shoes, and Sirius' face contorted angrily when he said:

"It's that bastard Thompson's fault. I said to James, that time, if I ever see that little shit ever again, I'll bloody kill him!"

"What happened?" Carrie asked, causing Teddy to hunch his shoulders, apparently not too keen to know.

"Well," Sirius explained, slowing his pace a little and dropping his voice to a whisper, "We – that's James, Peter and me – decided that we should all go camping for a week, celebrate the end of the school year and all that, and we booked ourselves a plot at this campsite, it was out in the middle of nowhere, somewhere in Wales...Merlin knows why...only when we showed up to drag Remus off with us, we'd made a bit of a mess of things because it turned out that it was the morning after full moon. Remus' dad told us to leave him to rest, it'd been a rough one, but we figured we'd sneak up into his room anyway, try and cheer him up a bit. We rather wished we hadn't, looking back on it, because he was in a pretty bad way...scratched and bitten himself to blazes...he's always worse in the holidays, you see...his mum patches him up well enough, but she's no Madam Pomfrey..."

Carrie glanced sideways at Teddy to gage his reaction to this gruesome tale, and the metamorphmagus mouthed:

_No Wolfsbane. _

Carrie felt her insides twist uncomfortably at the very thought.

"...So we figured we should probably just leave, he could tag along after a day or two, only James let it slip where we were off to and Remus insisted on coming with us...how in Merlin's name he got his parents to agree I have no idea...but we took him to Wales with us, like some sort of pet Inferius or something. He didn't do much besides sit around and watch us, but he said he liked it better than sitting around at home. Everything was going great until this bastard from the tent across from us – Lewis bloody Thompson – figured out why Remus was looking so bashed up...Merlin knows how he figured it out, maybe he overheard one of us talking...Peter can be a bit dim like that sometimes, you know, doesn't think before he opens his mouth. Anyway, Thompson, the little shit, only went running to all the other tents at the campsite, shouting the odds, and the next thing we know there's a bloody mob coming at us! They set fire to our bloody tent...that was pretty dodgy because Remus was sleeping inside it at the time...and once we'd managed to drag him out the bastards had the cheek to start chucking stuff at us! We made a run for it, of course, but Remus doesn't really do running after full moon..." Sirius trailed off, frowning deeply as he recalled: "We never did tell his parents why he'd wound up at Mungo's...James said he'd fallen out of a tree and hit his head."

By the time Sirius' recollections were finished, the group had reached the top of a hill where they at last broke free from the woods, and Carrie found herself looking down at a vast green field, at the bottom of which there was a small lake, its watery surface glimmering in the late afternoon sunshine.

"JAMES!" a familiar voice shouted, "OVER HERE!"

Squinting to spot the source of the noise, Carrie reached to shade her eyes against the sun, and there she spotted Lily down by the water, a picnic blanket draped over her arm and a familiar looking picnic hamper at her feet as she jumped up and down, waving wildly to get her boyfriend's attention.

James led an enthusiastic yet lonely charge down the hillside, skidding to a halt before the red haired witch, throwing his arms around her and sweeping her off her feet. As Lily let out a small shriek of surprise and James twirled them around, halfway up the hillside, Sirius reached to punch Remus lightly on the arm.

"If I ever resort to a greeting like that, Moony, promise me you'll obliviate me."

"I think it's nice." Carrie admitted when Remus merely continued to study the grass that he was trampling underfoot. The muggle blushed scarlet when Sirius grinned and told her:

"I'll be sure to let Wormtail know."

"You can tell Wormtail she's not interested." Teddy told Sirius, uncharacteristically stern. "He can keep his thoughts to himself...and everything else, for that matter."

Sirius raised an eyebrow.

"Bit protective is he, your brother?" he said, and Carrie blushed more furiously than ever. When she followed Remus' lead and took a turn at staring at her feet, the estranged Black wondered: "Where is Wormtail, anyway? He did say he was coming, didn't he, Moony?"

Remus gave a half-hearted shrug, which Sirius seemed to find utterly infuriating for he demanded:

"For Merlin's sake, Moony, pull yourself together and stop being such a pathetic tosser, will you? It's like talking to a bloody troll!"

If Remus had any intention of responding, which Carrie highly doubted that he did, he did not get the chance for Lily had wiggled free of James' arms and was hurrying to greet them.

"Guess what, Sirius?" she called cheerfully, offering the trio a wave, "I baked cake!"

"Well I hope I get at least five slices." Sirius told her, as Teddy and Carrie smiled back at her.

"Hi Joshua, hi Cleo!" the witch greeted, and once they had offered her similarly bright words she turned to Remus, flinging her arms around him as she announced:

"Hey Remus, I bought you chocolate!"

"Thank you." the werewolf mumbled, arms limp at his sides, and at his slumped posture she drew back from him with a frown.

"What's up?" she asked, and James appeared beside her to explain:

"Cleo and Joshua...know."

Lily shot a sideways glance at the pair before turning back to Remus with an arched eyebrow.

"And...?" she asked with a shrug of incomprehension. "They're still here, they haven't run screaming for the hills, they haven't gone searching for stones..."

"Exactly! Ignore him, Lily, he's just being a pathetic tosser."

"Don't, Padfoot. You're not helping."

"But he is, Prongs! There is absolutely NO reason whatsoever why he should be so bloody stupid about this! It's bloody irrational!"

"Come and help me unpack the hamper, will you?" Lily suggested meaningfully, and with that she reached to grab hold of Remus' hand and led him away, and James rounded on Sirius with a scowl.

"Nice one, Sirius!" he snapped, one hand balling into a tight fist. "Make him feel bloody better, why don't you?"

"It's stupid." Sirius insisted, folding his arms defensively across his chest. "It's childish of him to get so worried, he needs to grow up..."

"Grow up?" James cried, glasses askew in his anger. "Why don't you bloody grow up, Sirius? It's a big bad world out here, and Remus bloody knows it far better than you do! If I were him I'd bloody piss myself every time somebody else found out about me! D'you know what Dumbledore said to me, the other day? Do you know what he said Voldemort's been focused on these past few months? He's recruiting werewolves! No bloody wonder Remus is afraid! If word gets around enough they'll bloody show up, won't they? They'll try and bloody recruit him! And if he refuses to have them burn that bloody dark mark onto his arm they'll kill him and burn it into the bloody sky above his house instead!"

Sirius' arms dropped to his sides and he bowed his head, ashamed.

"I'm afraid for him." James hissed, teeth gritted to stop himself shouting, for both Remus and Lily had paused in their unpacking to look over at him. "I'm very afraid for him. And if you're not, Sirius, maybe you should take a good look in the mirror. Then you'll see who's childish. You better snap out of it, Padfoot, because we've an Order meeting coming up and once we're in with that crowd we'll all have even more reason to be afraid that Remus does now. And Merlin help us if we don't all grow up!"

The atmosphere that afternoon was somewhat strained, the group fragmented. James, who seemed determined to make Sirius feel as utterly wretched and ashamed as he possibly good, had disappeared off with Lily for a walk around the lake, whilst Remus lay flat upon his back by the hamper, staring at the latest time travel book that he was reading. In an attempt to lessen the atmosphere, Teddy had challenged Sirius to a contest to see who could skim stones across the water the furthest, a skill that Teddy appeared to be adept at.

"Who taught you to skim stones?" Sirius had asked, to which Teddy had replied:

"My dad did. He's really good at it, he grew up near a lake."

"You're just lucky Moony's busy reading." Sirius had announced, unaware of Carrie's sniggering. "He taught all of us during second year. He'd kick your arse at it."

Carrie, who was feeling immensely guilty at the panic her confession to James and Sirius had caused Remus, felt compelled to go and sit beside the werewolf, and after a pause she settled herself down upon the ground, staring up at the sky.

"Hi..." she began uncertainly, and after a moment he reluctantly settled the book down upon his chest and joined her in her contemplation of the sky.

"Hello."

"How's the research going?" Carrie asked, because that seemed to her to be a simple topic of conversation, rather like the weather. It was something that she and Teddy asked Remus on a daily basis, because the notes and drawings that he had scribbled all over the walls of his bedroom in thick black marker pens bought from the local muggle newsagents were much too confusing for either time traveler to understand. The first time that John had entered his son's bedroom to discover the mass of graffiti, his furious shouts had been heard by both his son and their guests from the back garden. Remus had charged back into the cottage and up the stairs just in time to rescue his work from the scourgify spell that had been on the tip of his father's tongue.

"It's a horrible mess and it's ruining the paintwork!" Carrie and Teddy had heard John complain, having raced after Remus so that they could watch the drama unfold.

"It's...revision." Remus had announced, to which John had snorted disbelievingly and asked:

"Does the Order of the Phoenix have an entrance exam these days, then?"

"In a manner of speaking..." Remus had mumbled, much to John's bemusement.

"And I suppose you used to adorn the brickwork of Gryffindor Tower with your revision too, did you? The house elves must have loved you. What are you going to do when you run out of room? Start on the ceiling?"

"Yes."

"Sweet Merlin..."

"I'll clean it up. I promise."

"You'll repaint the room whilst you're at it, mark my words!"

After that, Remus had taken to locking the bedroom door whilst he was out of the house.

Remus reached to settle his hands behind his head before telling the muggle:

"I think I'm getting somewhere...maybe. It's...horribly complex magic...I'm not really sure. Maybe I'll write to Dumbledore, ask him if he knows anything."

"If he knew anything, he'd have told you already, wouldn't he?" Carrie asked, and for the first time in hours, Remus smiled.

"Not necessarily. If he thinks you're safe here, if Voldemort doesn't suspect anything, he might just...wait to see if I can figure it out on my own."

"Like a test?"

"Exactly."

"Well...I think you're going to pass."

Remus let out a soft chuckle and they lapsed into silence for a long moment before Carrie decided that the ice had been broken and she said:

"You're not the first werewolf I've met, you know."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Remus said, and she shifted until she was leaning upon her side so that she could look at him properly.

"Actually," she said as he glanced sideways to meet her gaze, "I liked him a lot, right from the moment I first met him."

"I don't suppose he introduced himself as Mr. Were Wolf though, did he?"

"Well...no, he didn't. But I found out, Joshua told me about him."

"Were you frightened?"

"No." At Remus' frown of disbelief, she admitted: "Well perhaps a little, at first. But then...then I thought about it and I realised that it didn't really matter."

"Why not?"

"Because if anybody were to ask me about him, the first thing I'd tell them is that he's a good man. He's kind and decent and honest. And I'd remember that before his lycanthropy any day. So what if he's a werewolf? Nobody's threatening to lock me in a room with him at full moon, and unless James and Sirius have a seriously bad taste in practical jokes, the same goes for you, too. You're a good person first and a werewolf second. So Joshua and I, we'd not tell on you, not in a million years."

Remus smiled so warmly that Carrie felt a sense of relief wash over her, but before he could say a word, a voice from behind them made them both scramble up into sitting positions so that they could look around for the source of the call.

"Remus!"

And there came Anya, half-skipping down the hill towards them, along with a thin, scrawny looking young man who was having to stride to keep up with her. This, Carrie assumed, was her older brother Aristo.

"I wondered if you'd still be down here!" Anya announced as she came to an abrupt halt, narrowly avoiding tripping over her own feet. "Dad says Aristo needed the air, and I remembered you saying you were coming down, so I thought, you know...!" She dropped down upon the grass at Remus' side as Aristo came to a halt just behind them, his arms folded across his chest as he stood surveying their surroundings, gaze coming to rest upon a group of teenagers who were paddling in the lake to their left.

"Aristo," Anya said, and at the sound of his name her brother jumped a little and he glanced down at her. "This is Remus, he lives across the way from us, and this is his friend Cleo."

Aristo looked at Remus and Carrie in turn, eyes scrutinizing as they both greeted him cheerfully, before returning to his contemplation of the lake in silence.

"Don't mind him," Anya mumbled, cheeks reddening a little in embarrassment. "He didn't really want to come, Dad made him."

At the sound of Sirius cursing loudly as his stone disappeared under the lake's surface with a soft plop, they all turned their attention to watch the contest. As Teddy stooped to select a stone, Anya commented:

"That looks like fun. Do you skim stones, Remus?"

"All the time in the summer. I've got too much spare time on my hands, that's what Sirius says, anyway."

"What about you, Cleo?"

"I've never tried."

Anya turned to offer Remus and Carrie a broad grin as she said:

"I think we should get Remus to teach us! Will you, Remus? Then we can join in with the others."

Remus closed the book that he was holding with a snap and tossed it down upon the picnic blanket.

"I don't see why not." he said as he got to his feet. "Somebody needs to show Sirius how it's done, after all."

They spent the next half hour scouring the ground for suitable stones to throw and attempting to skim them as far as they could. It took Carrie only a short while to get the hang of it, having watched Remus closely, and with a little help from Teddy, who stood behind her and, holding her hand, showed her the best angle at which to throw, she was soon giving Sirius a run for his money. Anya, whose brother stood motionless beside her, making no attempt to join in, did not seem to grasp the technique at all, and at last she resorted to tossing pebbles into the water with a splash.

"It's official!" she announced dejectedly as she discarded another stone with a sigh. "I'm useless!"

"No you're not." Remus told her, holding out another stone for her to take. "You're just not holding it right. You need to aim a bit lower."

"Like this?"

"No, lower than that..."

"Like...that?"

"No...higher...now a bit lower..."

"So like this?"

"Just...up a tiny bit..."

Anya's arm dropped to her side with a snigger.

"Come and show me!" she suggested, and he stepped up behind her, as Teddy had done with Carrie beforehand, and reached to position her hand.

Carrie accepted another stone from Teddy, and as she turned to smile at him in thanks, she spotted the group of teenagers further along the lakeside.

"Ted..." the muggle whispered, reaching to put a hand upon her best friend's arm. "Those people over there...they're staring at us."

Teddy turned to look over at the group, which consisted of five boys that Carrie supposed were a few years her senior, and a couple of girls who were stood just behind them, whispering to one another behind their hands.

"What are you staring at?" one of the boys, a tall dark haired teen with shoulders so broad that he looked rather like an ape asked, and Teddy hurriedly turned away again.

"Charming..." the metamorphmagus muttered, only to halt abruptly when one of the other teens said:

"Do it, I dare you!"

And then, before Carrie could glance over at the group again, she felt something skim past her shoulder.

The rock, thrown by the ape-like boy, flew through the air, narrowly avoiding striking Aristo in the shoulder before it finally collided with Remus' ribs.

The werewolf stumbled in surprise, face contorted in pain at the sudden attack, and as the others rounded on the offending teenagers Sirius had barely opened his mouth to shout abuse when a shorter boy with curly brown hair shrieked:  
"WEREWOLF SCUM!"

Remus froze, eyes wide in panic as yet another stone soared through the air, this time thrown by one of the girls, only to crumble to dust when it collided with a jet of light that shot out of Sirius' wand.

"Who the bloody hell do you think you are?" Sirius demanded, planting himself firmly between his friends and the teenagers. "Sod off and leave him alone!"

"Are you alright?" Carrie heard Anya whisper, and the muggle dared a glance backwards just in time to see Aristo grab Anya by the arm, pulling her away from Remus' side.

As the shouts of abuse grew in volume, Teddy reached into pocket to draw out his wand.

"Get behind me." he muttered, reaching to push Carrie back, just as a voice from behind them to call:

"What's going on?"

James and Lily had returned from their stroll around the lake, and Sirius shot them a brief glance before announcing:

"These bastards have a bit of a problem with werewolves, apparently!"

"Clear off, dog lovers!" one of the teenagers shouted, and a series of mock howls arose from the group. As Lily dashed to stand at Remus' side, reaching to grasp hold of the pale-faced, motionless boy by the hand, James strode to Sirius' side, drawing his wand from his pocket.

"You first." he offered cheerily, and both he and Sirius raised their wands.

"We don't want his type around here! This is our lake!"

"I don't see your name on it." Sirius retorted. "Now get out our sight before we make you!"

"Let's...let's just go." a timid voice suggested, and the two Marauders paused to glance round at Aristo, who had uttered his first words in over an hour.

"Yes...let's!" Anya agreed, voice high, frightened. Carrie knew how she felt, the muggle's heart was hammering in her chest and she had a firm hold of the back of Teddy's t shirt.

"ANIMAL!" one of the teenagers shrieked furiously. "You're not wanted here!"

"James!" Lily hissed, reaching to hug Remus' arm to her as he continued to stare miserably at the persecutors. "Anya's right...let's...let's just go!"

And with that, with James and Sirius still pointing their wands threateningly at the teenagers, they all began to hurry away up the hill, back towards the cottages.

"I...I'm so sorry!" Anya cried when they finally reached the cover of the trees, and when she turned around to look at Carrie and the others who were following her, they could see that tears had begun to stream down her face. "I'm so sorry, I...I had no idea..."

"You don't need to apologies!" Lily exclaimed, grip upon Remus tightening as the solemn werewolf stumbled over a tree root. "Really, it's not your fault!"

Before Anya could mumble anything else, Aristo had given her arm a firm tug and the two of them had broken out into a run, disappearing off into the trees.

The others were left to stumble along until they came to a little clearing in the woods, where they paused, supposing themselves out of harm's way.

"Are you alright, Remus?" Lily asked worriedly, peering up at him with scrutinizing eyes. "They didn't hurt you, did they?"

"He's fine." Sirius muttered irritably. "It was only a stone. Joshua and I had it under control, didn't we mate?"

Teddy gave a grim nod, expression pained. Carrie felt compelled to put an arm around him.

"Nice one, Joshua." James said approvingly, slapping the younger wizard lightly upon the back as he strode past. "See, told you these two were alright, didn't I, Moony?"

Remus didn't seem to hear him. He looked as white as a ghost, eyes glazed by panic and as Lily reached to throw her arms around him, hugging him tightly, Carrie was sure that he was trembling.

"You're alright." Lily soothed as James came to a halt behind her, lips pursed together in concern. "Everything's alright, you're perfectly safe."

"How...how did...how did they...?"

"I don't know. But it doesn't matter how they knew, they're gone now."

"But...how?"

"Lily's right, Moony. It doesn't matter. What matters is you're alright, there's nothing to worry about."

"But...our stuff..."

"It's just stuff, Moony, we can go back for it later. Padfoot'll go, won't you Padfoot?"

To Carrie's disguise, Sirius scowled.

"Yeah, sure I will!" he said as Lily drew back from Remus, leaving him to stare miserably at his shoes. "I'll go and save our stuff! Just like I saved Moony!"

James and Lily turned to stare at him in surprise as he stomped forwards, coming to a halt just in front of Remus, who peered up at him through the hair that had fallen into his eyes.

"And what would you have done if we hadn't been there?" Sirius asked accusingly, reaching to jab a finger into the werewolf's chest. "You, you Moony, you would have done NOTHING! Absolutely bloody nothing!"

"Padfoot..." James began, but the black haired boy refused to have his rant interrupted.

"You'd just let them walk all over you!" he cried, sounding utterly appalled. "You don't bloody stand up for yourself! You won't fight back! Well why not? Why don't you answer them back? Why don't you fight back?"

"Sirius, stop it!"

"No! I won't! And do you know why? Because the Moony I used to know didn't take everything bloody lying down! The Moony I knew used to stand up for himself! Sure, he didn't go looking for trouble, but he wasn't scared of it! Where's the Moony who used to...used to jam chewing gum up a Slytherin's nose if they insulted him one too many times? Or the Moony who dumped compost over that kid's head for laughing at Wormtail's haircut? Or the Moony who used to hoist me up by the ankle and dangle me from light fittings when I stole his homework to copy? Where's he gone? What's happened to him?"

"This isn't like school, Padfoot..."

"No, it bloody isn't! This is the real world! And the Moony I used to know, he would've survived out here just fine! He would've told those bastards to go and jump in the lake! And they bloody would have done if they'd known what was good for them! But that Moony's gone! He's gone and all we're left with now is a pathetic little tosser who reckons he's not worthy to eat dirt! Well I'm SICK OF IT! You're bloody better than this, Remus, so start bloody acting like it! Stand up for yourself! Go on, do it!"

Carrie watched, lips pursed together worriedly as Sirius reached to shove Remus backwards, causing him to stumble.

"Go on!" he demanded, "Be angry! Tell me to shut up! Tell me you're not pathetic! Go on! Do it!"

As they watched Sirius continuously shove Remus backwards, Carrie felt rather as though she wanted to close her eyes, put her hands over her ears and hum. She wondered why James and Lily didn't step in, why they simply stood motionless, watching, not even moving when Sirius shoved Remus straight off his feet and shouted:

"Well you wretched little coward? ARE YOU A BLOODY GRYFFINDOR OR NOT?"

Remus lay motionless in the dirt for a moment, before slowly rolling onto his stomach. As he set about stumbling to his feet, Sirius let out a despairing sigh.

"Well," he said, holding out his hands in defeat. "That's it, isn't it? Merlin help us, Prongs, I never thought we'd see the day. Our mate Moony...a pathetic little coward..."

THUMP!

Carrie let out a horrified gasp as the force of Remus' fist colliding with Sirius' jaw sent the future Azkaban escapee falling flat upon the grass with a shout of surprise and pain.

Silence descended upon the clearing like a lead balloon, and Remus looked up from his satisfied observation of the sprawled figure at his feet to find everybody staring at him.

"What?" he said, face flushed rather sheepishly. "If I'd drawn my wand on him, he'd have seen it coming a million miles off."

And with that, the werewolf turned on his heel and set off back towards home, reaching massage his throbbing knuckles as he went.

He had almost disappeared completely amongst the trees when Sirius finally complained to the sky:

"Where did he learn to hit that bloody hard?"

"Not bad for a pathetic tosser, really." James observed, making no move to help his best friend up.

"If I've lost a tooth, I swear...! And...my bloody jaw...!"

"Does it hurt to talk?"

"Yes!"

"Excellent. D'you hear that, Lily? We might get some peace and quiet..."

"Shut up, Prongs..."

"Let's be honest though, Padfoot, you've only got yourself to blame. You told Moony to stand up for himself..."

"Yeah, I told him to tell me to shut up! I didn't tell him to punch me in the bloody face!"

"Well...punching you in the face shut you up far better than simply telling you. He tells you to shut up all the time, you never listen to him, so...well it was bound to happen, wasn't it? Especially when you called him a coward...he's got a bit of a thing about that, remember?"

Sirius grumbled a long series of expletives under his breath before Lily interrupted:

"Do you think we should go after him?"

James pursed his lips together with a frown.

"Maybe we should let him have some time alone." he decided. "We'll come back later."

And so it was that Teddy and Carrie headed back towards the Lupins' cottage on their own, and for a while they walked in silence, until Carrie finally mumbled:

"Are you alright? That must've been...difficult to watch."

Teddy frowned deeply, reaching to sweep the hair from his eyes with a heavy sigh.

"You know what I said, the other day?" he said as she reached to tuck her hand through the crook of his arm. "When we were in Diagon Alley? When I said Dad probably had horrible things happen to him, but he wouldn't tell me about them?" he paused to swallow the lump that had formed in his throat before he admitted: "Well I wasn't sure...I hoped...I hoped I was wrong, that you were right. And you know, I...I almost had myself convinced. Because I looked at those people smashing up that shop and I thought to myself...I'd know. I'd be able to tell, you know, if things like that had happened to Dad. Because if they had, he wouldn't be the way he is, how could he be? If people ever treated me like that, I don't think I'd turn out even half as...as confident and...normal as he is. I thought he'd been alright, like you said. But...but I was wrong...and...and that makes me sad. Very sad. I want to go home, Carrie. I want to go home, I don't like it here anymore."

"Remus says he thinks he's getting somewhere." Carrie recalled in an attempt to cheer him. "You never know, we could be going home within a few days! I know he'll fix the time turner, Ted. I don't care if he's younger, he's still your dad. He's dead clever and he's working so hard for us, you should see his bedroom walls, the notes he's made! And...and he says he might write to Dumbledore! And Dumbledore must have some clue how to fix things, everybody's always telling me how clever Dumbledore was."

Teddy offered her a half-hearted smile, and Carrie was about to think of something else to say when she heard a voice amongst the trees ahead exclaim:

"Oh Merlin, you must've been horrified! I'm so sorry, I had no idea!"

Carrie and Teddy exchanged only the briefest glance before they crept towards the nearest tree before peering around the corner. There they spotted Anya, one hand raking through her hair in agitation, apparently midway through a conversation with Remus, who looked somewhat stunned by whatever had been said.

"Are you...being serious?" Carrie and Teddy heard him ask, and Anya looked up at him through red, puffy eyes.

"Well yes, I wouldn't make something like this up, would I? Maybe...maybe they recognized Aristo from Diagon Alley or something...I don't know..."

"I can't believe it." Remus muttered to himself, and Anya frowned at him in confusion.

"Why not? You do know you're not the only werewolf on the planet, don't you?"

"Well yes, but...but...well..." he trailed off into silence, sighing heavily, and Anya observed:

"You're relieved."

"No! No, I'm not, I just...well...well I am, obviously, but..."

"It's okay. You don't have to feel bad for him. I'm glad they were after Aristo and not you. I mean you've lived here for years, it would be a shame if they were to drive you away. I'm so sorry they scared you, we shouldn't have come down to the lake."

"I'm glad you did." Remus told her, offering her a faint smile. "I had fun."

"Me too." Anya said with a sniff, reaching to wipe a stray tear away upon the back of her hand.

"Here," After fumbling around in the pocket of his trousers for a moment, Remus produced a scarlet cotton handkerchief and held it out for her to take.

"Oh, thank you." the girl said, accepting it with a grateful smile. "Silly me, crying...I...I don't usually cry, you know. Not that often, anyway. I just...well I didn't mean to get you caught up in things. They didn't hurt you, did they? That rock looked rather heavy!"

"It'll only be a bruise."

"Oh good. I mean, it's not good, it's bad but...well...what I mean is..." she trailed off, blushing furiously and he failed to suppress a snigger.

"I know what you mean." he assured her, and she let out a small sigh of relief to have her babbling understood.

"I'm not making a lot of sense today." she observed, and Remus agreed:

"No, you're not. You might have better luck tomorrow, though. You've had a nasty shock. It's not nice to have people treat your brother like that."

"Or my friend."

"Or your friend."

The pair lapsed into silence for a long moment before Anya decided:

"Well, I should probably get home...check on Aristo, you know..."

"Right..."

"Can I come and knock for you in the morning?"

"If you want to."

"I want to."

"Then...you don't mind?"

"About what?"

"Me...?"  
"Of course not. I like my brother well enough, don't I? And his jokes aren't nearly as funny as yours are. You're a good friend. And I don't get a chance to make many of those, you know. I'll see you in the morning, then?"

"See you then."

And then, to both Teddy and Carrie's surprise, Anya rose up upon her tiptoes and, without any hesitation at all, leant to press a kiss to the werewolf's lips, before turning on her heel and running off towards her cottage.

Apparently the two time travelers were not the only ones to be surprised, for Remus froze, stock still, before slowly reaching to touch his fingers to his lips.

"Oh Merlin..." the werewolf breathed.


	11. Carrie's Fatal Mistake

_Note: This chapter is dedicated to the 100th reviewer of this fic...AKA whoever reviews this chapter first!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor am I making nay profit from this piece of writing._

**11: Carrie's Fatal Mistake**

"She said friend?"

"Yes!"

"You're absolutely sure that was what she said?

"Yes!"

"She said friend, as in...friend friend?"

"That's what she said...at least that's what I thought she said!"

"She didn't say boyfriend, then?"

"No! No, absolutely not!"

"Hm...well...well maybe that's what she meant, though. You know, friend as in boyfriend..."

"But that's not what she said! I...I've never asked her...and she never asked me...! She said FRIEND, as in just a friend...!"

"I know, Moony mate, but girls don't always mean what they say, do they? And she did kiss you."

"But...I don't WANT to be her...her boyfriend!"

"Why not? She's pretty good looking..."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

"Well...yeah..."

"PRONGS! BE SERIOUS!"

"Did somebody call me?"

"No, Padfoot, go back to bed. Listen, Moony, you need to calm down. You could be right, you know. After all it was just a kiss. I mean, Lily kisses you, doesn't she? And you don't panic about that! Or is there something the two of you need to tell me?"

"Lily doesn't kiss me...like...like that."

"Bloody hell, she didn't try to stick her tongue down your throat, did she?"

"No! No, of course not, I...I just..."

"You just...?"

"I just...I just don't think this is a good idea anymore. There's no way I'm answering the door tomorrow, if she knocks..."

"You can't just not answer, Moony..."

"Why not? I'll get Joshua to tell her I'm sick."

"Oh right, and how long do you suppose you can keep that up? A few days, maybe..."

"Who cares? She'll have forgotten me by then."

"I wouldn't count on it. Padfoot seemed to reckon she really liked you."

"Well...well where did Padfoot learn to read girls' minds?"

"Where did you?"

"James...!"

"Remus...!"

"Anyway that was before she found out that I was a werewolf. She's bound to go off me completely, if I give her a day or two to think about it."

"Are you kidding me? If her brother's a werewolf she probably doesn't give a toss if you're one too. I mean if anybody's going to not mind, it's her."

"Or maybe she knows better than most how bloody awful it all is and thinks one dark creature is more than enough, thank you very much..."

"Like I said mate, I wouldn't count on it. Anyway I don't see why you have to be so bloody difficult about the whole thing, seems to me that she's a nice girl. Why don't you just give it a chance, you never know..."

"I really do."

"Come on, Moony! What's the worst that can happen?"

"You're joking, aren't you?"

"For once, no. No, I'm really not joking."

"Everybody always said you were a natural born piss taker, and they're all right you know. You can actually take the piss without even trying!"

"I'm not taking the piss! I mean it, Remus, go and buy the girl some bloody flowers or something!"

"With what? I've not got a knut to my name. I've been out of school for under a week and I'm already in debt."

"Don't be stupid, Lily doesn't want you to pay her back. Besides, are you a bloody wizard or not? Conjure some bloody roses or something!"

"It's...it's not right, Prongs. It's just...not right."

"Why?"

"Because...! It's WRONG!"

"For the love of Merlin!"

"I'm...I'm not like you, James. You and Lily...I mean, that's not going to happen to me, it won't ever happen, it can't ever happen..."

"You're right mate. You're not like me. You're a whole lot more sensible and you don't act like a prat in front of girls you like and you're about ten times more thoughtful. Do you remember that Valentine's Day, in fifth year? Sirius bet five galleons that you'd get Rosanna Birchwood to agree to go to Hogsmeade with you before I could persuade Lily to do the same. So I swaggered into the Great Hall that morning and loudly announced my intentions and Lily's friend Helena threw a glass of orange juice in my face! And as I'm standing there with it still dripping down my bloody chin, you slip quietly past me, wander up to Rosie, whisper something in her ear and the next thing I bloody know Padfoot's five galleons richer! I swear, the way you did it you could have asked her to bloody marry you and she'd have said yes!"

Silence.

"You think I'm talking rubbish, don't you?"

"Yes."

"Well I've had enough with butting my head against a brick wall. It's nearly two o'clock in the bloody morning, Remus. Just go to bed, will you? There's only so long I can keep my head stuck in this fireplace, you know! I've got to be up early, Padfoot and I are going to watch some Quidditch."

From her position sat halfway down the staircase, Teddy at her side, Carrie watched James' head disappear from the fireplace with a soft whoosh of emerald flame, leaving Remus to slump back in his chair, burying his face in his palms with a sigh.

"It makes me feel bad." the muggle whispered, frowning deeply, and Teddy gave a shrug.

"Well Mum'll snap him out of it in a few years time."

"Hardly, Ted. Your dad was thirty seven when he married your mum. That's nearly twenty years away! You know...maybe I should say something..."

Teddy's sudden grip upon her elbow made Carrie jump.

"No!" the metamorphmagus hissed, eyes wide in horror at the very thought. "You can't say a word to him! Not a single word, if you do you might..."

"Change the future, I know."

"Exactly! You can't tell him about my mum or...or anything like that."

"Well of course not, I wouldn't do that! I just meant...well...I don't know..."

"Joshua...?" At the sound of Remus' voice, Teddy's attention was diverted, leaving him no time to warn Carrie further. The young wizard got up from his perch upon the stairs and headed down into the room below, just in time for his pillow and blankets to float down onto the sofa that was serving as his bed.

"Sorry," Carrie heard Remus murmur, pocketing his wand as Teddy slipped under the blankets. "I didn't realise how late it was. Is Cleo still awake?"

"Mmm." Teddy mumbled sleepily, and the werewolf padded softly across the sitting room, coming to a halt at the bottom of the stairs.

"Hi." Carrie whispered in greeting as he squinted up through the darkness at her.

"Hi," he whispered back, creeping carefully up a few steps so as not to disturb his sleeping parents above them. "Would you mind terribly if I went and fetched a book or two? I'm really not very tired."

Despite herself, Carrie positively grimaced. Back in her own time, Remus had been what Dora described as semi-nocturnal, especially when there were things for him to mull over for hours at a time, no matter how futile or indeed damaging such thoughts could be. He would stay up until the early hours, sat motionless in the living room, thinking, considering, wondering until fatigue finally got a firm hold upon him, at which point he would stumble upstairs to bed and sleep fitfully. Teddy claimed that his father had grown increasingly restless as the years passed, but apparently eighteen year old Remus was little different from his older self.

As she followed the young werewolf up the stairs and watched him select himself a generous selection of time travel books, Carrie recalled the number of times over the years that she had stayed over at Teddy's house during the summer holidays, and how she would sometimes watch the clock upon Teddy's bedside table, listening for Dora's footsteps coming up the stairs to bed, only to retreat back down them an hour later. Sometimes Carrie would not hear anybody coming back upstairs for over an hour, but whenever she did hear Dora returning to bed, she would always hear Remus' footsteps just a short few minutes later.

And as she watched the young werewolf creep back downstairs with his moonlight reading materiel, Carrie felt compelled to follow Dora's example.

She followed him back downstairs, whereupon she discovered Teddy already fast asleep upon the sofa. The back door had been left ajar, and when Carrie crept to peer outside, she found Remus sat upon a bench by the kitchen window, stack of books at his side as he held up a delicate, metallic object that glimmered in the soft silvery moonlight. As he sat contemplating the broken time turner, slowly allowing the broken chain to slither into his palm before picking it up again, Carrie slipped out of the back door and carefully picked her way across the grass towards him. When the bench creaked a little to signal her presence beside him, he glanced briefly sideways at her before returning to staring at the time turner.

"I can't sleep either." Carrie explained, drawing her feet up onto the seat so that she could hug her knees to her chest, pausing to adjust Lily's too-long pajama bottoms that she had rolled up to stop herself from tripping over the hem. "I'm homesick." she lied. "What's your excuse?"

"James. He's...making me think."

"About Anya?"

Remus puffed his cheeks in consideration, before concluding:

"No, I think it's a bit more than just Anya."

"Love, then?" Carrie suggested, causing his face to contort at the idea.

"Maybe." he mumbled, before dropping the time turner into his lap and reaching for a book. "I'm going to try to fix the time turner tomorrow." he told her, a blatant attempt to change the subject. "I found some diagrams in this book after dinner. I think I might be able to fix it...sort of."

"Sort of?" Carrie echoed, not entirely sure that she liked the sound of using a sort-of-fixed magical object at all.

"Well," Remus said, opening the book at a marked page and staring thoughtfully down at a complex series of diagrams that were printed in red and black ink. "What I mean to say is that I don't think I can make it as good as new. I've looked and looked, but it's so complicated! I need to reattach the lengths of chain, only the spells to do it...I've never tried such complex magic. I think I might be able to link the two ends that are attached to the time turner already, but the links that got snapped loose entirely..." he trailed off, frowning deeply again. "You'll be lucky to fit your little finger through a chain that short." he mumbled despairingly.

"I better start slimming then." Carrie observed, and the werewolf sniggered. The conversation lapsed into silence for a long moment before he leant back in his chair, staring absentmindedly up at the stars.

"I've been thinking," he said, tapping his fingers against the book upon his lap, "about you and Joshua. Where you've come from, I mean. And...and why you're here, why you chose me."

Carrie pursed her lips together, fixing her knees with a determined stare so as not to risk giving away anything that ought be kept secret.

"I think I've joined the winning side of this war." Remus said, smiling vaguely at the thought. "I think someday we're going to win, Voldemort'll be gone and everything will be better. Because Joshua said, that first day, that he's never had to fear Death Eaters or anything like that. Just imagine the party Sirius and James are going to throw when all of this is over! Mrs. Potter's carpet is going to be utterly ruined! And nobody will care, they'll be celebrating for days and days. And we'll all go traveling, like we always planned. James and Sirius and Peter and Lily and me. Sirius wants to see America...something to do with motorcycles...he'll make us all go with him and bore us to death about them, and James wants to go to the Alps or somewhere. We're going to fly brooms over the mountains...I don't even like flying very much, but it'll be amazing. And the best part is, we won't ever need to be afraid, not ever. James says after he and Lily get married, because he's going to ask her soon you know, they're going to get their own house and...and he says I can go and live with them. I told him they'd not want me there, you know, because they'll have only just gotten married, but James says if Lily heard me say that she'd hex me to the moon and back."

Carrie forced herself to chuckle along with him, a lead weight falling into the pit of her stomach.

"Sounds nice." she mumbled, and her lack of enthusiasm was completely lost on the young werewolf for he agreed:

"It certainly is." His gaze dropped from the sky to look at her, the excitement dulling as quickly as it had come as he mused: "And I was wondering...where do you and Joshua fit into all that?"

"Whoever said we fit in at all?" Carrie asked cautiously, and she wanted to bite her lip when Remus told her:

"Well you must fit in there somewhere, I must...know you. In the future, we must meet because why on earth would you have come to see me in the first place? You don't just...pick a person at random and ask them to help you."

Carrie smiled rather nervously, stomach twisting into knots at his next revelation.

"I have a theory." Remus said, reaching to fiddle with a page corner.

"Oh?" Carrie asked despite herself, and she drew in a deep breath.

"Well," Remus said, leaning towards her and dropping his voice as if it were all a deadly serious secret. "You're a muggle, aren't you?"

"Yes... " Carrie half-squeaked, attempting to keep her expression entirely blank.

He leant closer still, and had she not been so on edge she might have noticed his lips curving ever so slightly upwards at the edges.

"Well, I think," he whispered, as she stared at him, eyes wide despite herself. "I think you're one of those volunteers. You know, one of those people in the muggle cities who go to those kitchen places, and they hand out cups of tomato soup to homeless people...!"

And with that, he burst out laughing.

"Is...is that where you think you're going to end up?" Carrie asked, utterly appalled.

"There's no doubt." Remus told her, reaching to stretch his legs out before him, still smiling widely.

"James and Lily can't keep me forever...I wouldn't let them."

Carrie felt a lump form in her throat.

"Why would you laugh about that?" she asked, staring at him in disbelief, and she felt worse still when he shrugged and said:

"Well I can either laugh or cry, and I've enough to cry about without adding the prospect of being homeless to the list."

Carrie hugged her knees more tightly to her chest.

"Well," she informed him, sounding bordering on offended, "I don't work at a soup kitchen. I never have."

"That's a shame." Remus told her, oblivious to her almost sulky tone. "I always thought those places looked so depressing. It would have been nice to see a friendly face."

"Maybe I'm one of the helpless, defenseless muggles that you saved from a rampaging dragon whilst you were living as a hermit in the woods somewhere." Carrie offered, causing him to snigger. "And we made the front page of the Daily Prophet and now you're dead rich and famous from selling your story to everybody."

"Werewolves don't become famous...only infamous."

"Who cares? You'd still make a galleon or two."

They both chuckled quietly to themselves, his gaze returning to the stars above them, and she yawned widely, cheek coming to rest upon her knees as she gazed sideways at him.

"Maybe," she said, throwing all caution to the wind, "Joshua or I are related to you."

"No, it's not that." Remus told her, sounding absolutely certain. "I'm an only child, so neither of you can be my niece or nephew. And my parents are both only children too, so I don't have any cousins...no. We're not related." He took a turn at yawning himself before concluding: "Must be the dragon, then."

"What if," Carrie said, ignoring the voice in the back of her head that told her to stop talking because she rather doubted it would make much difference, "I'm your daughter? Or...or Joshua is your son?"

Remus' only response was more laughter.

"It's definitely the dragon!" he insisted after a moment. "I'm at least a million times more likely to slay a dragon than I am to have a son or daughter."

"I don't know...dragons are dangerous, don't they breathe fire and that sort of thing?"

"Well I'd sooner risk getting burnt to a crisp than...well..."

"Well?"

"Well...you wouldn't understand."

Carrie pursed her lips together against a smile.

"We're talking about love again, aren't we?" she said, and knew the answer immediately when his face contorted at the mere word. "You'd be surprised what I know about love." she told him, smiling faintly. "I've never fallen in love, I'm too young I suppose, but I do happen to know the most important thing to remember about it."

"What's that, then?" Remus asked her, out of obligation rather than anything else, and Carrie waited for him to glance at her before she said:

"If you like a girl you should ask her out, and if she refuses to go out with you...well it doesn't matter, just go and find another girl you like and see what she says. It doesn't matter if they say no, not really, you can let them say no as many times as they want. But if you love a woman and you ask her out...you mustn't let her say no. Not ever. If you don't like her, if you love her, never take no for an answer. No matter who she is...or who you are."

At her recollection of Dora's advice, Remus merely smiled faintly, gaze back upon the sky once more.

"Who told you that?" he asked after a while, and Carrie took a moment to reply, for she was busy yawning again.

"Joshua's mum."

"Sounds like something your own mum would tell you."

"She's as good as. In the summer I practically live at Joshua's house. His mum...she understands things better than my mum does."

"She sounds very wise."

"Yes, I suppose she is in a way. Sometimes I think all wizards and witches are wise...or more wise than muggles at least. Re...Joshua's dad, when I told him that once, he said that's not exactly true. He said wise people are born out of experiences, and the Wizarding world has experienced a lot these past years...like Voldemort and the War. He said the muggles haven't had anything quite like that happen since Word War Two. Since then they've just sat around in their houses...drinking tea and watching telly. He said you don't get wise from watching The Simpsons."

"Who in Merlin's name are the Simpsons?"

"Well...it doesn't really matter. They haven't even been invented yet."

There was a long silence as Remus frowned thoughtfully, before finally concluding:

"It makes a lot of sense, what Joshua's mum told you."

"Mmm." Carrie managed, yawning again, and the werewolf looked down at her with a raised eyebrow.

"If you're tired you should probably go to bed." he said, and she nodded agreement before slowly heaving herself back onto her feet, legs aching and weary.

"Night Remus." she mumbled sleepily, and as she stumbled off back into the house, Remus returned to gazing thoughtfully at the stars, murmuring:

"Sweet dreams, Cleo."

The routine that Carrie had grown so used to altered somewhat the following morning, and the muggle was aware that something was different from the moment she set foot outside of Remus' bedroom. She was met upon the narrow landing by John, who had just stomped his way up the stairs and was muttering to himself under his breath.

"That boy...what in Merlin's name has he got into that head of his..."

"Good morning Mr. Lupin." Carrie greeted politely, and the phrase made her smile, for the last time that she could recall saying it had been many years previously, or indeed many years in the future. She had been sat in the Lupins' kitchen, waiting for Teddy to finish eating his breakfast, and when Remus had wandered into the room in search of coffee, she had greeted him with her usual: _Good Morning, Mr. Lupin. _

_Good grief!_ Dora had exclaimed from her position sat examining that morning's Daily Prophet. _You're not still calling us Mr. and Mrs, are you? It's Remus and Dora or Oi You, Carrie love. Otherwise you're never going to perfect blending in with the wallpaper!_

Carrie received no such cheery response from John, however, who merely mumbled a polite good morning of his own before disappearing into his bedroom.

Carrie arrived at the kitchen table a moment later to discover Teddy munching a slice of jam on toast in a distinctly sleepy manner. Remus, on the other hand seemed surprisingly awake and alert considering the amount of sleep that he had had the previous night, indeed he had already cleared his bowl of cornflakes and was busily guzzling orange juice.

"Who are you racing?" Rhea inquired from her position stood before the kitchen sink, but her son's only response was to set his now empty glass down upon the table with a loud, triumphant clunk, before practically leaping to his feet.

"Going out." the young werewolf announced distractedly, snatching up his jacket from the back of his chair, and Rhea turned to look at him in surprise.

"Already? Dad hasn't even left for work yet, and he wanted a word with you about things..."

"Not now, Mum!" Remus complained as he hurriedly shrugged on the jacket. "I'm...busy!"

"Well where are you going?"

"Nowhere...I just...need to talk to somebody, that's all!"

"Well can't it wait? Dad will be down any moment now..."

"Not really, no."

"Why ever not?"

"Because...!" Remus exclaimed, eyes widening irritably before he turned and made a dash for the door. "If I wait a moment longer," Carrie heard him mutter as he hurried past her at the foot of the stairs, "I'll probably realise what a bloody stupid idea it is, that's why!"

So distracted by his task was he that he flung the front door wide open and disappeared outside without pulling it shut behind him. His mother stared after him, utterly bewildered as Carrie shuffled over to Teddy's side, reaching for a piece of buttery toast.

"What in Merlin's name do you suppose that was about?" Teddy wondered, as Rhea let out a sigh and turned her attention back to the soapy water and dishes in the sink.

"I have no idea." Carrie admitted, taking a generous bite of toast and dropping down into Remus' vacated chair. As she chewed thoughtfully, her gaze drifted over towards the open front door.

At which point, comprehension suddenly dawned and she nearly choked on her toast.

"Te...Josh!" she muttered, jumping to her feet so abruptly that Rhea looked round at her with a frown and announced:

"Contagious, is it?"

Carrie let out a hurried squeak of laughter, reaching to grab Teddy by the arm and yank him to his feet.

"Come on!" the muggle hissed, and with that she dragged him towards the door.

"What is it?" Teddy asked as they hurried out into the cool summer's morning, and Carrie told him:

"He's gone to talk to Anya, hasn't he?"

"I don't know, has he?"

"Yes!"

"So...?"

"So! I think...well...I just...I just want to listen..."

"Listen? But Carrie..."

"Shhhh!"

And so it was that a reluctant Teddy was dragged along to a ramshackle wall, and once the pair had crouched down behind it, Carrie led an awkward shuffle across the grass towards Anya's cottage.

There they found Remus stood upon the doorstep, back to the door as he rocked back and forward upon his heels. He appeared to be talking to himself.

"This is...this is just the most...the most stupid and...and silly and moronic thing I've ever done in my whole entire life! It's going to be so embarrassing, what in Merlin's name was I thinking? She's going to laugh so, so much! Either that or she's going to..."

And at that moment, the front door opened and he spun around to face it so quickly that he very nearly lost his balance entirely.

"Hi!" he greeted somewhat breathlessly once he had finally planted both feet firmly upon the ground, face flushed an uncharacteristically dark shade of pink.

There was a pause as Anya eyed him rather curiously before she beamed at him and announced:

"Remus! I was just about to come and knock for you!"

"Um...really?"

"Well yes, I said I would, didn't I?"

Remus' gaze dropped to his shoes and he sniggered nervously at himself as he mumbled:

"Yes, you did...do you like Quidditch?"

Anya took a small step out of the house, frowning a little as she asked:

"Sorry?"

The young werewolf took a moment to clear his throat before looking up at her, plastering a broad smile upon his face.

"Do you like Quidditch?"

"Oh! Yes, I love Quidditch..."

"Me too." Remus told her, shoving his hands deep into his pockets, and behind the wall, Teddy let out a snort of disbelief.

"He's never much liked Quidditch..." the werewolf's son whispered into Carrie's ear, only for Remus to announce:

"I um...I've got a spare ticket. For a match today, I mean...if you want to come with me."

"Who's playing?"

"Um...I...can't remember."

Anya sniggered, reaching to cover her mouth with one bony fingered hand in a poor attempt to cover up her amusement.

"You're very sweet." she said at last when she finally trusted herself to allow her hand to fall back to her side, and he puffed his cheeks in exasperation.

"Merlin, don't say that." he told her, causing her to giggle. "You sound like my mum!"

"Sorry," Anya told him, leaning back against the door frame, hands clasped rather self-consciously together before her as she peered up at him through a stray lock of hair. "It's just...well, I've never had a boy take me out to watch Quidditch before...as a date, I mean..." Her eyes widened quite suddenly and she fixed him with an almost startled look as she added: "Is it a...a date, then?"

Remus opened his mouth to reply, but it took him a good few seconds to find his voice.

"If you like." he managed to mumble, and a grin immediately materialized upon Anya's face.

She pushed herself back from the wall and sprung forward until she was stood just in front of him, face lit up excitedly.

"I like!" she announced, clapping her hands together enthusiastically, and he let out an audible sigh of relief.

"Great!"

"When are you going to come and pick me up then?"

"Um..."

"Shall we say...in an hour?"

"Um...yes."

"How am I supposed to know what to wear if we don't know what teams are playing?"

"Um...it won't matter...I'll um...I'll buy you a team scarf or something when we get there."

"A scarf? In the middle of the summer..."

"Or...or a hat! I'll buy you a hat."

And with that, Anya reached to throw her arms around him, causing the young werwolf to tense in alarm.

"You're sweet!" she announced again, as he finally managed to pat her somewhat gingerly on the back. "I'll see you in an hour then!" As she drew back she planted a firm kiss upon his cheek, before turning and half skipping back into the house, letting the door swing shut behind her.

Remus stood, frozen upon the doorstep for a long, stunned moment, before he finally managed to mumble:

"Great...see you, then..."

And with that, he turned on his heel and sprinted back towards his house.

Ten minutes later, two distinctly breathless Marauders appeared upon the Lupins' doorstep, practically stumbling across the threshold when their loud knocking was answered.

"What is it?" James cried as a distinctly sleepy looking Sirius reached to push the door shut behind them. "What's happened?"

"This better be good, Moony, I was asleep!" Sirius announced as he went to collapse down upon the sofa, and James told him:

"It will be, Padfoot, he shouted for me loud enough to wake the dead when he flooed just now!"

"You two are going to Quidditch, aren't you?" Remus said, as over at the kitchen table Carrie paused, spoonful of cornflakes midway to her mouth.

"Yes...what's that got to do with anything?" James asked with a frown. The frown deepened considerably when Remus told him:

"Well you can't go!"

"What? Why?" Sirius said, equally as bemused, only to jump to his feet when Remus told him:

"Because I'm going with Anya."

"What?" the black haired boy cried again, and James gave a little jump as if he had been electrocuted.

"You're taking Anya to watch the Quidditch?"

"That's what I said, Prongs..."

"As in...as in you, Remus, are taking Anya, a girl, to watch Quidditch...?"

"That's what I said."

"AHA!" Sirius shrieked, practically dancing with excitement across the room until he was at Remus' side. As he flung an arm around the young werewolf, who visibly flinched at the action, he bellowed: "MOONY'S GOT A GIRLFRIEND!"

"No, Padfoot, she's...she's not my girlfriend..."

"Not YET!" James said, grinning broadly as he reached to slap an enthusiastic hand down upon Remus' arm. "She's not your girlfriend YET! Give it a few days, mate, she'll probably want to marry you like Rosanna Birchwood did..."

"Rosie didn't want to marry..."

"This is going to be bloody brilliant!" Sirius cried, grip upon Remus tightening. "It's going to be the best Quidditch match EVER!"

"Oooooh no! No, absolutely not!" Remus insisted as he reached to prise Sirius' arm from around him before backing off towards the fireplace, hands held up in silent plea. "Like I said, you guys can't come..."

"Are you ASHAMED of us, Moony?" Sirius asked incredulously, only for James to elbow him in the ribs and tell the werewolf:

"It's alright, Moony. We'll sit on the other side of the stadium if you want, give the two of you some space..."

"Just as long as we get to take a pair of binoculars with us." Sirius insisted, eyebrows waggling wickedly.

"Padfoot..." James began warningly, only for Remus to shake his head and interrupt.

"No, what I mean is you _can't_ go..."

"Yeah right, Moony! Prongs and I paid good money for those tickets! I'm not about to bail just because you're worried we'll scare some bird off! Besides, you're perfectly capable of scaring her off all on your own..."

"I DON'T HAVE ANY TICKETS!" Remus practically shouted, throwing his arms up in the air in exasperation, and Sirius instantly fell silent. Calm finally restored, Remus drew a deep breath to explain: "I don't have any tickets for the match, so it's either me and the bird, as you put it, or you two."

There was a long, distinctly horrified silence, before Sirius finally breathed:

"You bastard."

"C'mon, Padfoot," James reasoned, "we've been telling him to ask girls out for bloody years! He's not been on a date since...since I don't even know..."

"EXACTLY!" Sirius cried, hands balling into tight fists. "That's exactly the point! How am I supposed to bloody say no to him? You know I won't, I know I won't, he, the little bastard, he certainly knows I won't! And I've been looking forward to this match for WEEKS! Now I've got to give up my bloody ticket! For the love of Merlin, Moony, why didn't just ask her to go for a walk in the bloody woods with you or something instead? YOU DON'T EVEN LIKE QUIDDITCH!"

Remus positively beamed.

"I knew you'd understand!" he said, and Sirius scowled and muttered:

"Oh piss off!"

James, on the other hand, looked utterly delighted by his ruined day out.

"You wait until I tell Lily!" he told the werewolf happily, grinning from ear to ear. "She'll probably bake you a cake."

"That's a good idea." Sirius murmured sulkily. "We need to feed him up whilst we still can, just in case he goes all love sick and pathetic like you did Prongs, and refuses to eat properly."

"I'm not in love with her or anything." Remus mumbled, sounding distinctly embarrassed. "I just...well..."

"You want to shag her?" Sirius put in helpfully, but his friend merely grimaced.

"I just thought," Remus said after a long pause of disgust, "that it wouldn't...well it wouldn't do any harm to...to have a bit of fun."

"That's exactly what I said."

"I don't mean that kind of fun, Padfoot..."

"Well," James interrupted loudly, elbowing Sirius in the ribs once again. "Good for you mate! You're right, there's no harm in going out with a nice girl just because she's nice. Nobody said you have to be in love with her, and if it turns out you are..."

"I'm not."

"...then that's fine too."

"Exactly." Remus agreed, and to Carrie's surprise, he glanced over at her and smiled.

This did not go unnoticed by the muggle, and it did not go unnoticed by Teddy, either. A moment later, once James and Sirius had frog-marched their friend up the stairs to pick him out some suitable Quidditch match attire, the metamorphmagus rounded on his best friend, eyes distinctly accusing.

"Have you said something?" he hissed, as Carrie shuffled guiltily in her seat.

"No!" Carrie cried, folding her arms defensively across her chest. When he did not halt his staring her gaze fell to her lap as she mumbled: "Well...nothing much..."

"What have you done?" Teddy cried, hand falling to the table with a slap as he leant closer to her. "There's no way that's my dad's eighteen year old self talking! There's...there's no way he'd ask a girl out for "fun"! What in Merlin's name have you told him?"

"It was nothing, really!" Carrie insisted, frowning worriedly. "I just said, well..."

"Well?"

"He was a bit miserable so I tried to cheer him up! I just told him something that your mum had said to me!"

"What did you say?"

"I said...well I said it didn't matter if he asked out girls if he didn't love them because...well because it doesn't matter if you have a bit of fun and mess it up because the two of you aren't in love..."

"You DIDN'T!"

"But...but it doesn't matter, Ted! He doesn't love her, you heard what he said, it's just a bit of fun! It's not like he's going to marry her instead of your mum or something..." she trailed off into hopeful silence before adding: "Is he?"


	12. Remus' Plan

_Note: This chapter is short...I know, I'm sorry! But it was a nice moment to end on! Thanks to my reviewers, you are cheering me up when I am ill! XD_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor am I making any profit from this piece of writing._

**12: Remus' Plan**

"Okay let's...let's not panic." Carrie Winters insisted as she watched Teddy Lupin pace up and down before her, one hand tugging fretfully at her hair. "What if...what if this was all going to happen anyway? What if he was always going to ask her out whether I said something or not? Has your dad ever...mentioned Anya? Have you ever asked him about girls or that sort of thing?"

"I don't know!" Teddy exclaimed irritably, throwing his hands up in agitation. "Mum jokes about somebody called Elanora Green, but I'm pretty sure that was something to do with the second Order..." he trailed off, frowning deeply in an attempt to remember, scowling when he recalled: "I asked him once last year, I think. Josh had a thing with this Ravenclaw girl...Felicity Baker. They were pretty much the first couple to go on a date in our year, everybody else thought it was gross and she was AWFUL. I told Mum and Dad about it when I went home for the holidays...they seemed to find it all very amusing and nothing like as dreadful as it actually was. Mum said not to worry, most teenagers have a new crush every week...I asked if she had, and she said no, she'd been too busy attempting to terrorize Charlie Weasley. She said she didn't really like dating when she was younger, being able to morph attracted the wrong sort of boys. So I said what about you, Dad? Mum started laughing until Dad gave her The Look, and then he shrugged and said...something like: I didn't try very hard. And then Mum started laughing again."

"Well," Carrie said, frowning deeply, "he didn't really try very hard just now, did he? He didn't even buy his own Quidditch tickets!" She sniggered a little, but hastily stopped when Teddy turned on his heel and positively scowled at her.

"It's not bloody funny, Carrie!" the werewolf's son snapped, tugging frustratedly at the hem of the shirt that Remus had lent him that morning. "Do you have any idea what...what could happen if...if...I don't even know! I can't even imagine..." he trailed off into confused silence, only to hastily halt his pacing at the sound of footsteps on the stairs. Both time travelers turned just in time to watch Sirius stomp his way down the final few steps, James and Remus just behind him.

"Just for the record, Moony," the estranged Black said as he turned to face the other two, folding his arms firmly across his chest. "I still think you're the most manipulative and pathetic tosser I've ever met, and if you don't snog her senseless before half time I'll be wanting my bloody money back!"

"Don't do that, for Merlin's sake." James muttered, reaching to give Sirius a firm shove towards the front door. "And more importantly don't cheer for the Canons, their seeker couldn't catch a chill in a snow storm!"

"What if she likes the Canons?" Remus asked, and the other two immediately rounded on him and demanded:

"DUMP HER!"

"Dump her...right." the werewolf muttered, reaching to scratch the back of his neck in bemusement. "And um...who else is playing again?"

"THE FALCONS!" Sirius half-shrieked in exasperation. "I already told you TWICE!"

"I was kidding, Padfoot..."

"Yeah right...this is going to be a bloody disaster!"

At this exclamation, James grinned broadly, but it only made Sirius more furious than ever.

"Cheer up!" Remus told him as the black haired boy flung the front door open with far more force than was necessary. "You're going out this afternoon!"

"Are we?" James said, as he and Sirius paused to offer the werewolf a questioning look.

"That's right," Remus said casually, pausing to glance down at his watch, eyes widening when he noted the time. "You'll need Lily and Wormtail to come with you, you're going to break into somebody's house." As Sirius and James' eyes widened in incomprehension, the werewolf cheerfully added: "See you about one o'clock then!" And with that, he shut the door in their faces and turned to bolt back upstairs.

Teddy and Carrie both stared at the door for a long moment, before Teddy slowly turned to offer his best friend a bemused look.

"Did you hear what I just heard?"

"Did he just say what I think he just said?"

There was a long pause before they both shook their heads, the muggle laughing disbelievingly as Teddy said:

"Nah. Break into somebody's house? There's no way he just said that, absolutely no way at all..."

"Right, we need a plan..."

"Moony?"

"What is it, Padfoot?"

"You've got lipstick on your face."

"No I don't. As I was saying, we need to come up with a plan..."

"Remus?"

"Yes, Lily?"

"This is all a big joke, isn't it?"

"No, it's not a joke at all."

"But...but James said you said that you want to...to break into somebody's house and steal...something...!"

"That's not really what I said, we're not stealing anything."

"But we are breaking into somebody's house?"

"That's the plan, Wormtail."

"I thought you said we hadn't got a plan yet."

"Ha! Who's the crazy one now, Lily?"

"Shut up, Sirius, you're all joking! You're all trying to play some sort of game with me, you've probably dragged Cleo and Joshua into it too! And quite frankly, I thought better of you, Remus!"

"It's the quiet ones you have to watch out for..."

"EVERYBODY SHUT UP!"

At Remus' shouting, one fist slamming irritably down upon the scrubbed kitchen table, the assembled teenagers all fell silent, Lily's expression distinctly hurt. Sat at the red haired witch's side, Carrie was pretty sure that she felt just as bemused as everybody else.

It had been some time since Lily, James, Sirius and Peter had gathered outside of Remus' house in order to catch a glimpse of him returning home with Anya from the Quidditch game, and for a while they had simply stood around waiting, Teddy and Carrie feeling a complete and utter sense of dread whilst Lily hopped excitedly from foot to foot, exclaiming every few minutes that she knew it was going to go well, whilst the others stood, smirking in anticipation.

Remus and Anya emerged somewhat later than the other Marauders had predicted, from the dirt track through the woods, and Lily had failed to suppress a small squeal of excitement, which James had hastily silenced with a hand over her mouth.

"Don't cause a scene, will you?" he'd hissed, only for a loud whistling to sound from just behind him as Sirius shouted:

"Oi, oi! What's going on 'ere then?"

The look that Remus had shot the dark haired boy had been utterly poisonous, and yet he had been quick to plaster a smile back onto his face and mutter something that Anya seemed to find hysterically funny, she had reached to hug his arm to her and buried her face in his shoulder in an attempt to stifle her amusement.

"She's a nutcase." Sirius had observed. "Nobody in their right mind finds Moony's jokes that funny."

James had opened his mouth to reason with his best friend, only it was at that moment that he noticed the cloak that was tied around Anya's shoulders.

Because it wasn't a cloak at all, it was bright orange banner proudly sporting the emblem of...

"The Canons? I don't believe it, she's a bloody CANON'S FAN! You're right, she MUST be insane!"

"What's wrong with the Canons?" Lily asked, arching an eyebrow, and as Anya and Remus wandered up towards Anya's front door, both Sirius and James rounded on the redhead with wide, horrified eyes.

"What do you mean, what's wrong with the Canons?" James had cried, sounding genuinely offended.

"Actually," Lily has said, rising up upon her tiptoes so that she could peer over James' shoulder at the returning couple, "I quite like the Canons..."

"You WHAT?"

"Be quiet, they're saying goodbye!"

"But..."

"Move to the left a little, I want to see if he kisses her goodbye..."

"I can't believe MY girlfriend likes the bloody CANONS...!"

"What are you going to do, Potter? Dump me? Sirius move! I can't see...oh great! I missed it!"

Lily hadn't manage to probe Remus about the morning's outing much either, for the werewolf had ushered them all inside and insisted that they all sit down around the table to discuss what he had planned for the afternoon. It was not surprising that Remus had resorted to shouting in the end, for his friends were all much more interested in what he and Anya had gotten up to that morning. But he stubbornly refused to be distracted.

Stood at the head of the table, leaning forward upon the tabletop with a heavy sigh, Remus looked up to meet Lily's gaze as he said:

"Sorry, I don't mean to shout at you all, but we need to act quickly...before my mum comes back from the shops."

"You really do have lipstick on your face." Sirius interjected helpfully, and though James sniggered, Remus merely shot him an unimpressed glance.

"Look," he said, folding his arms firmly across his chest and drawing himself up to his full height in a vain attempt to gain some form of authority, "this isn't a good time for stupid jokes..."

"He's really not joking, Moony..."

"This is ORDER BUSINESS! So, if you don't want to take it seriously you can just go home now!"

Instant silence immediately descended upon the Lupins' kitchen, and at the other end of the table, Peter leant eagerly forward in his chair.

"I have a question." Sirius said after a moment, raising a hand in an uncharacteristically sensible fashion.

"Yes?" Remus acknowledged warily, reaching to scuff a thumb across his cheek with a frown.

"Who died and made you Pope?"

"Joshua and Cleo did...or rather they suggested it and Dumbledore agreed with them. Does anybody else have a pointless question, or can I actually get started?"

"Very sensible." Lily murmured under her breath, and James smiled, before raising his own hand.

"James?"

"When you say Joshua and Cleo made you in charge...does that mean they have connections to the Order?"

"No. But Dumbledore knows about them, he says that they are under Order protection until I can...sort things out."

"You haven't told us what it is about them that needs sorting out." Lily pointed out, and at last Remus sunk down into his chair, apparently satisfied that things were now under control.

"Dumbledore has decided that it would be best for as few people as possible to know what is precisely going on, he says it is important for security purposes."

"Whose security are we talking about here?" Sirius asked, leaning back in his chair and eying the two time travelers curiously.

"Pretty much the whole of the wizarding world." Remus said, causing Peter's eyes to widen to the size of snitches. "If Voldemort were to find out about Cleo and Joshua...well...quite frankly I can't bear to imagine what he would do. Now it is highly unlikely that he will ever have even a clue about what is going on, the only people who actually know everything are Cleo, Joshua, Dumbledore and me. But to be on the safe side, we're going to keep it that way. So, all you four need to understand is that Joshua and Cleo need to get inside of this house without causing a stir, and you are going to have to create a suitable distraction for whoever lives there."

"What will you be doing, then?" James asked, and Remus paused to swipe the back of his hand across his cheek before telling him:

"I'll be staying here."

"Why?"

"You can't ask me."

"Right..."

There was a long silence before Sirius reached to slap his hands down upon the table, before declaring:

"Well, this is bloody strange."

"I'll just have a talk with Joshua and Cleo, and then you can all get going." Remus decided, once again getting to his feet.

"Where exactly are we going?" James asked, and he frowned deeply when Remus admitted:

"I have absolutely no idea. Come on, Joshua, Cleo..."

The pair followed him up the stairs in bemused silence and when they reached his bedroom, Remus pushed the door firmly shut behind him, before turning to face them. He reached into his pocket and drew out a small scrap of parchment, before holding it out for Teddy to take.

"On there," the werewolf explained as Teddy accepted the parchment with a small frown, "is the address of this cottage and tomorrow's date." He reached into his other pocket and drew out the broken time turner. As he offered it to Teddy, Carrie saw that the chain had been mended, but was so short that calling it a chain didn't really seem appropriate, Carrie doubted that she could squeeze it around her little finger. "Fold up the parchment," Remus instructed as Teddy took the time turner from him. "Slide it between the chain's links and take it to your future home. The others can help you get inside, make sure you place it somewhere really obvious like the kitchen table or somewhere. Then use the time turner to send the address and date forward to your time. With any luck somebody will find it and will realise what has happened."

When both Carrie and Teddy merely stared at him, the young werewolf sighed heavily, shuffling his feet guiltily.

"It's...it's not perfect, I know. I know it's not really a proper solution but...well...it's the best I can manage..."

He was cut off by two sets of arms being flung around him, leaving him to stumble backwards, narrowly avoiding crashing into the bedroom door.

"I KNEW you'd fix it!" Carrie shrieked, hugging him fiercely, and Teddy declared:

"You're a GENIUS!"

"I wouldn't go that far..." Remus mumbled, abashed, and once he had managed to discreetly shuffle out of their holds, Carrie said:

"I wish you would come with us, I'd feel much better if you were there."

"I can't..."

"Why not?"

"Because," Remus told them, smiling faintly, "I can't risk it. I think...I think I'm going to meet you both one day...meet you properly, I mean. And I can't know anything about you, I can't risk messing up the future. Don't worry, you'll have the others with you. If anybody can break into a house without getting caught, it's James and Sirius, and if anybody can babble a long enough distraction, it's Lily and Peter. You'll be absolutely fine."

And with that, he ushered them back out of the room. As Teddy reached to push the time turner and note deeper into the pocket of his jeans, Carrie could not help but pause in the doorway and admit something that she had been wanting to say ever since Remus had arrived back from the Quidditch match an hour earlier.

"Remus...?"

"Hmm?"

"Um...Sirius wasn't joking...you um...you do have lipstick on your face."


	13. Failure

_Note: I have decided not to post a preview of the new story, as with any luck it won't be long before I finish this one anyway! I don't want new readers to be waiting forever for me to update the new one, either! I have actually written two full chapters of it, and started a third, so when I do post it, the first two chapters will be up very quickly indeed!_

_I am also working on updating The Dark Creature's Child, I'm sorry that I'm taking such a long time over it, but I'll update it as soon as I can! _

_As for this story, it had been suggested that I include an Order meeting in it, but I have decided against doing so after all as the nature of the Order will be explored in more detail in the sequel._

_This chapter is dedicated to **shine lots**, for sending me a couple of kind reviews this morning!_

_Thank you to everybody for being patient, and thanks to my wonderful reviewers for your kind words!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor am I making any profit from this piece of writing._

**13: Failure**

As she stood outside of the house that would one day belong to Teddy's parents, an enormous shaggy black dog stood at her side, Caroline Winters felt somewhat guilty.

After all, she and Teddy had already broken into this house once already...sort of. Whatever would the woman who lived there think if she were to find out that a trio of teenaged wizards were about to sneak in through her back door and into her kitchen?

The muggle supposed that she was unlikely to find out the answer to this question, if Sirius' plan worked out anything like as well as he seemed to think it would.

Carrie thought it quite alarming just how well organised the whole operation was, it did make her wonder, not for the first time, just what the Marauders had gotten up to whilst at Hogwarts.

"Ready?" Lily asked from Carrie's other side, and the muggle gave a stiff nod, heart instantly beginning to thump nervously in her chest.

"I'll let the others know." Lily said, glancing once up and down the deserted street before drawing her wand. The witch pointed the thin wooden stick skyward, and a jet of bright red sparks shot up into the air.

A few seconds later an answering jet of red sparks appeared from somewhere behind the house, where James, Peter and Teddy had walked around the block in order to position themselves behind the house's fence at the bottom of the garden.

"Right..." Lily said, reaching to unhook the handbag that she had upon her arm. She came to stand in front of the dog, fixing it with a piercing look. "James bought me this for my birthday. Damage it, and I'll damage you, okay?"

The dog licked it's lips mischievously, tail wagging with enthusiasm.

Lily reached to swat it on the nose, before holding out the bag with a sigh. The dog carefully took hold of the leather object in it's jaws, tail still wagging happily.

"Wait for the signal." Lily instructed, offering Carrie a vague smile, and with that she set off down the street until she came to a large overhanging bush some five doors up.

And then it started, with a burst of green sparks from Lily's wand.

Carrie drew in a deep, steadying breath, before leaping into action.

"HELP!" she shrieked at the top of her lungs, running full pelt up the driveway. "SOMEBODY HELP!" Skidding to a halt upon the doorstep, she reached to hammer her fist upon the door with all her might, not pausing until it was flung open to reveal the same startled woman that Carrie and Teddy had run into previously. For a horrified moment, Carrie thought she might be recognized, only for the woman to ask:

"Goodness, dear! Whatever is the matter?"

Carrie spun around to point back down the driveway, where Sirius was busy bounding back and forth, shaking the bag in his jaws.

"That dog has stolen my sister's handbag!" she exclaimed, eyes wide in mock-horror. "It's her favorite! And...and it's got her purse and all her money in it! I've been chasing it around for ages, but it just won't give it back! If she finds out, my sister will be FURIOUS!"

As she turned back to the woman, Carrie glanced past her just in time to see a trio of shadows darting across the kitchen window far to the back of the house.

"Oh dear," the woman said, leaning to peer out at Sirius' antics with a deep frown. "Perhaps...perhaps I might have a little something in the fridge, to distract it with..."

"No!" Carrie cried, much more frantic than she had meant as the woman made to turn back into the house. "I mean...I...I don't think that will work."

"I'm sure it will," the woman assured her, as Carrie dared another glance past her, spying Peter stood just outside of the window. "I used to have a dog, when I was younger. They're very keen on their food..."

"But..." Carrie began, trying with all her might to come up with an excuse, only for a high pitched scream to provide the perfect distraction, as both she and the woman turned to look back outside for the source of the noise.

And there stood Lily Evans, hands grasping fistfuls of red hair in horror as she shrieked:

"THAT DOG HAS MY BAG!"

"Oh dear..." the woman murmured worriedly, as Carrie gave an exaggerated gasp.

"That's my sister!" she squeaked, pointing at Lily just in case the shrieking hadn't been evidence enough. "I told you she would be angry!"

Lily turned to look over at the duo upon the doorstep, hands flying to her hips as she demanded to know:

"Is this YOUR dog?"

The woman's face reddened somewhat as she hastily shook her head.

"No dear, no he's...he's not mine..."

"Is it her dog, Cleo?" Lily asked, as Sirius dropped to the ground and began to slobber happily all over the bag. "Goodness, you should keep him under control!"

"She said it ISN'T her dog!" Carrie called back, before turning back to the woman with an apologetic look. "I'm so sorry," she said, taking a careful glance past the woman again. "She doesn't mean to be so rude, it's just...well it IS her favorite bag!"

Teddy was in the kitchen, midway through reaching into his pocket, Carrie's heart began to pound and she hurriedly reached to grab hold of the woman by the arm.

"You said you had a dog once, didn't you?" she said hastily, giving the woman a firm tug forwards. "Do you think you might try and talk to it? Call it or...or something...it might behave for you!"

SMASH!

Carrie's stomach clenched in horror at the sound from back inside the house, and both she and the woman turned around again.

And there was Teddy, stood frozen in the kitchen, midway through creeping back through the back door, a smashed vase at his feet.

Quite suddenly, everything seemed to happen very quickly indeed.

"THIEF!"

Carrie's alarmed gaze locked with Teddy's as he flinched at the woman's cry, and the girl was about to stumble backwards a step in panic, when she heard the sound of pounding feet upon gravel and quite suddenly she felt a hand enclose around her wrist.

"Run!" Lily's voice demanded, causing the woman to turned bewildered to glance at the two girls, and Carrie obediently set off down the driveway as fast as her legs would carry her, Sirius bounding along behind her, seemingly very much excited by the awful development.

Lily led the way round the corner, past the little green and up the next street, and they did not stop running until they practically collided with two figures who were running towards them.

James caught Lily by the shoulders with a enormous sigh of relief, as Peter stumbled into the back of him, and as Carrie to came to a halt, heart hammering in panic in her chest, she looked frantically around for the last of their number.

But Teddy was nowhere to be seen.

"Where's Josh?" the muggle cried, and James and Peter immediately glanced behind them in surprise.

"He was right behind us..." Peter panted, as James' hands fell from Lily's shoulders.

"Evidently not!" Lily exclaimed, eyes wide in horror.

"It's alright Lily," James assured her. "Peter and I can go back for him, you three head back to Remus' and...CLEO WAIT!"

Carrie's feet ached in protest as she sprinted on down the street, ignoring the shouts and barks that followed her, and as she rounded the corner into the dim walkway that ran along behind the back gardens, she at last spotted Teddy, sprawled upon the concrete ahead of her.

"Ted!" she cried as she skidding to a halt beside him, and as she dropped down into a crouch, the wizard demanded:

"Be quiet!"

"Are you alright?" Carrie asked, reached to put a steadying hand upon his arm as he heaved himself slowly up into a sitting position. "What happened?"

As James and Sirius came running up the path towards them, Teddy gave a vague shrug.

"I just figured," he murmured as the two Marauders came to a halt just behind Carrie. "I'd get myself a cool scar or two...won't have anything on Dad though, obviously..."

"You fell over the fence." Carrie translated, and behind her, James sniggered.

"Come on," the messy haired Marauder said, as he and Carrie each grabbed an arm and hauled Teddy back onto his feet. "We need to get out of here!"

And with that, they disapparated with a soft pop.

That, Carrie had assumed, would be the end of it. The end of trouble. A small pot of Bruise-Away and one night later, and it would all be over. Somebody, somewhere, some time, would come along and take her home.

But the next day came and went, and nothing happened.

In fact, an entire week went by, and to Carrie and Teddy's increasing agitation, they were still in the past.

It was that evening, when he returned from his first ever Order meeting, that Remus informed the time travelers:

"I've screwed up."

The three of them were sat on the ramshackle wall, as they had been doing for the past few evenings, and the younger two had been chatting mindlessly about muggle football, which they had agreed was far more boring than Quidditch. Remus had been silent for most of the discussion, and had made his announcement in the first available lull in conversation.

"How do you know?" Carrie asked, attempting not to sound too despairing, for the werewolf's expression was so downcast that she thought adding her own disappointment to the mix would be downright cruel.

"Well if I hadn't, you wouldn't still be here."

"Maybe it was me." Teddy mused dully, swinging his legs back and forth, but Remus shook his head.

"No, it must have been me...I've failed." he puffed his cheeks miserably as he told them: "Dumbledore has given the others some duties now too...I bet they won't fail him like I have."

"I don't suppose they've got a task quite as complex as yours." Carrie said comfortingly. "Did he say anything to you? About us?"

"I told him you were still here...he just...smiled and said: I have faith in you. He said that when he made me a prefect...I was lousy at it." he sighed heavily, frowning down at his shoes. "This was going to be it, you know. It doesn't really matter to the Order, what I am. I thought...I thought I'll join and it'll be like I'm like everybody else, I'll be included for the same reasons as the others and I'll do something that matters...only they won't want to include me if I'm so useless, will they?"

"I don't think you should give up yet." Teddy told him knowingly, barely suppressing a smile, and Carrie nodded her head in agreement. That would be all they needed, she thought glumly, for Remus to leave the Order during the first war and never even meet his future wife.

"Mm." Remus agreed with a grim chuckle. "All armies need canon fodder, after all."

His attention was diverted momentarily when the door to Anya's cottage over the way was pulled open and Anya slipped out of the door, pulling it carefully closed behind her.

"It's been decided that you're to stay with somebody else for a few nights." he went on after a moment as he watched Anya shuffle slowly down the garden path. "They'll be here to collect you soon."

"Why?" Carrie asked, only for Teddy to stomp a foot down upon her toes and glance meaningfully upwards.

"Oh..." Carrie mumbled as her eyes came to rest upon the silvery moon above them, it's mass nearing a full circle.

"Who are we staying with?" Teddy asked instead, and he visibly paled when Remus said:

"I've asked the Longbottoms. Don't worry, I expect Alice will spoil you rotten...they'll have enough beds, too..."

"Can't we go to James'?"

"No, James and Sirius are busy. Lily's going to be visiting friends, so you can't stay with her...you could stay with Peter, I suppose..."

"We'll take the Longbottoms, thanks." Carrie mumbled, and Remus sniggered.

"I thought you might say that." he said, oblivious to Teddy's continued agitation. "I don't know why, he's very fond of you, Cleo."

"He's a bit too fond."

"Maybe, but is that so bad?"

Carrie pursed her lips together, frowning deeply before she admitted:

"Yes. It is."

Remus raised a disbelieving eyebrow, before leaning forward so that he could more easily speak to Teddy.

"You'll be safer with Frank and Alice than me by far." he told the boy in an attempt to put him at ease. "Fully-fledged Aurors the pair of them, there's probably nowhere safer! Except Hogwarts, of course."

"I'm sure they'll be lovely." Carrie told him gratefully, and Teddy nodded half-hearted agreement. His lack of enthusiasm either went unnoticed or was ignored by Remus, who pushed himself up and off the wall with a heavy sigh.

"I'll...try and think of something in the meantime." he told them as he reached to run a frustrated hand through his hair. "Figure out...where I can steal a time turner of something..." He chuckled disbelievingly at himself before setting off towards Anya, who was stood outside of her cottage, staring aimlessly down the road as if lost in thought.

"Well that wasn't terribly polite of you, was it Ted?" Carrie observed once he was out of earshot, and Teddy turned to regard him with horrified eyes.

"Do you even know who Frank and Alice Longbottom were?" he asked incredulously, and she gave a vague shrug.

"They were in the Order." she recalled vaguely, which only seemed to agitate Teddy further. "They weren't traitors too, were they?" she asked worriedly, and Teddy looked as though he wanted to scream.

"Frank and Alive Longbottom were two of the most talented Aurors the Ministry had, and the Order was lucky to have them! And d'you know what happened? Do you know what Voldemort had done to them?"

"He...he killed them?" Carrie guessed, because not only was that the worst thing that she could think of, it did seem to be Voldemort's thing of choice.

"No, he didn't kill them, they're still alive in our time." Teddy informed her darkly. "They're in St. Mungo's, have been for years, after Bellatrix tortured them repeatedly until they lost their minds!"

"Oh..." Carrie breathed, ducking her head so that she stare mournfully down at her feet.

"I...I can't stay with them!" Teddy hissed, tugging worriedly at the hem of his t shirt. "I can't stay with them, I just can't...it's...it's bad enough having James and Lily and...and Sirius and Peter! It's hard enough talking to them knowing...knowing one day soon the little worm's going to betray them all and they're all going to end up dead! That's bad enough! I...I won't see the Longbottoms as well! I won't do it!"

Carrie looked up to see that Remus and Anya had seemingly disappeared from the road, and the muggle sighed and said:

"I'm not sure we have a choice."

Teddy reached to bury his face in his hands for a long moment, and as Carrie patted him comfortingly upon the arm.

"Maybe we can talk to Remus about it..."

"And say what?"

"Well...um..."

"We can't say anything, Carrie! This is the most awful thing that's ever happened to me! I want to go home!" The metamorphmagus got abruptly to his feet, reaching to brush the dust from his jeans with a sigh. "I'm going to go inside." he murmured dejectedly.

Left alone outside, Carrie got slowly to her feet and wandered aimlessly towards the woods, dragging her feet as she went. A sense of dread settled uncomfortably in the pit of her stomach at the thought of meeting the Longbottoms, and as she reached the cool shade of the trees she wondered if she and Teddy would ever get out of this mess. And what if they didn't? What then? She couldn't stand the thought of it. She thought longingly of home, of the lazy pace of summer without war, of her mother baking in the kitchen and the rest of her family lounging around in their back garden.

For once in her life, Carrie Winters longed for the dullness of the muggle world.

And it seemed so far away, so unreachable, all she wanted to do was escape, be free...

"Let's run away together." a whimsical voice suggested through the trees, and Carrie came to an abrupt halt before hurriedly concealing herself behind the nearest tree trunk.

In the small grassy clearing before her, Remus was sat against a tree trunk, staring aimlessly up at the leaves above him.

"Where shall we go?" he asked the girl beside him, her head nestled upon his shoulder, and Anya pursed her lips together thoughtfully before suggesting:

"Spain."

"Mm...then what?"

"We could live on the beach and go swimming every day."

"I thought you said you couldn't swim."

"I'll let you teach me. Or maybe I won't. Then you'll have to jump in and save me."

The werewolf chuckled at this suggestion, and Anya reached to take hold of him by the hand, holding it up for examination.

"You've got long fingers." she observed, and as he stretched his legs out in front of him, she raised their hands to her lips, brushing a kiss to his palm. "Where are your friends today? I've not seen them about, only the younger two."

"They're all bit busy." Remus told her, and she smiled widely and said:

"Good! That means I have you all to myself."

"Oh? And what do you plan on doing with me?" he wondered, offering her a raised eyebrow, and she dissolved into giggles, reaching to hug his arm to her.

"Not a whole lot." she admitted, beaming up at him. "I like it, when we do nothing. I like sitting here with you. It's romantic."

"Hmm...just as long as you're not expecting poetry."

"Do you know some?"

"Maybe..."

"Let's hear it then!"  
"It's not the right sort of poetry."

"Is it terribly rude?"

"Quite possibly...Sirius recites it, after all. It has to do with a hag, a goblin and a ten inch phoenix feather."

The pair of them dissolved into laughter again, and Carrie was just watching the young witch lean to press a kiss to his lips when all of a sudden she felt a hand enclose around her wrist.

Carrie drew in a deep gasp of surprise and was about to attempt to spin around to face whoever it was behind her when a firm hand reached to clamp down across the muggle's mouth, stifling her shout of alarm.

Carrie felt panic seize her, her heart instantly hammering in her mouth as she was dragged backwards a few steps by her silent assailant, and she gritted her teeth in fear as she felt whoever it was lean to whisper something in her ear.

"Wotcher, Carrie love."


	14. An Awful Day

_Note: WOW! A change of perspective! How EXCITING!_

_That's about all I have to say, really. Except perhaps: **Happy Easter to you all! **Although it's probably going to be over by the time the majority of you read this. I hope you had a nice day all the same. _

_And of course, thank you again to my reviewers! What a lovely bunch you are, metaphorical chocolate Easter eggs all round!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor am I making any profit from this piece of writing. I do, however, own Caroline "Carrie" Winters._

**14: An Awful Day**

When she had sunk down upon the sofa in her sitting room that afternoon, mug of tea clutched in both hands as she drew her feet up in front of her, Dora Lupin had absolutely no idea just how awful a day she was about to have.

Because at that precise moment in time, the Deputy Head of Aurors was already having such a bad day that she really couldn't envisage it getting any worse, it just didn't seem possible.

She was pretty sure that the mug was burning her palms. But she didn't move because her mind was somewhere else entirely. She was much too busy pondering a question that she had first asked herself over a decade previously:

_What am I going to do about Remus? _

Today, joining this, the most difficult and frustrating of questions, were:

_When am I going to learn not to lose my temper? _

As well as:

_How long is he going to leave me here to feel wretched before he thinks we've both suffered enough for him to come home?_

So far since Remus had left the house some hour previously, Dora had yet to come up with any useful answers to these questions. She had concluded that doing anything about Remus had only ever made things worse in the past, and therefore she would do nothing. She had admitted to herself that she was probably always going to lose her temper, no matter how hard she tried, and she had concluded that she had absolutely no idea when her husband would see fit to come home, indeed she might not even bother cooking him dinner because she suspected he wouldn't be there to eat it.

Maybe she and Teddy would just have pizza. She really wasn't in the mood to do anything more complex than taking something out of the freezer and shoving it into the oven.

She wondered where it was precisely that Remus had gone. He never did tell her where he had been after incidents like this, though on more than one occasion he had returned utterly drenched to the skin, rather as though he had chosen to go swimming whilst still fully clothed. He'd wander through the front door to find her sat at the bottom of the stairs waiting for him, and when she would observe his sodden attire he would simply stare back at her and ask: _What? _She had never attempted to answer this question, usually she would just go and stick the kettle on instead. By then it was usually some sort of ridiculous time of night and yet they would sit and drink tea together anyway, in agonizing silence until she informed him that she was going to bed. She would ask him if he was coming with her, though she already knew that he would say no. She'd give him half an hour or so alone before going down and insisting he come to bed. He never argued, though sometimes she wished he would because it might be better than watching him look so utterly downtrodden, and by the time they finally got into bed they would be so emotionally drained that they'd only manage a few mumbled apologies before falling asleep.

To the casual onlooker, things went back to normal come the next morning, but Dora knew better than to think that. Every incident was just another tear in the fabric, and they never truly fixed it, only patched it up and pretended it wasn't there.

Only they were all there, all the holes, all the blunders. She was sure that he never managed to forget them like she did. Which made her determination to resolve things feeble to say the least, she dreaded to think exactly what he had stored up in that mind of his, how many painful memories he might bring into the conversation.

It was so much easier to just say nothing, and so that was exactly what Dora did.

She was a bad wife. That much was startlingly clear to her when she stopped to think about it.

The Deputy Head of Aurors abandoned her mug of tea on the coffee table and reached to bury her face in her hands with a heavy sigh. She felt an overwhelming urge to start sobbing, because she knew then that when Remus did come home this time things were going to have to be different. They were going to have to have a proper talk about what had happened, which would probably lead to conversations about what else had happened previously, and it was going to be dreadful and painful and draining because he wouldn't like what she had to say about it all, and she would probably end up crying herself to sleep by the end of the night.

And there was no escaping it. It had to be done.

Because there were a great number of things that Dora Lupin didn't mind being labeled, but Bad Wife wasn't one of them. Especially when she was the one doing the labeling herself.

She wondered whether or not Carrie was still with Teddy upstairs. She strongly hoped and yet doubted that the muggle might have gone home. She didn't fancy Carrie catching her in such a state, especially when it was probable that the two children had heard every single word that she and Remus had exchanged in the garden. Admittedly she was a little less fussed about Teddy seeing her, after all he had overheard his parents arguing often enough not to think too much of it. Dora supposed thinking that probably made her a bad mother, too.

Thinking of mothers, Dora wondered what her own would have to say about the day's events.

_It's not going to be easy, you know_. Andromeda had told her daughter all those years ago when Dora and Remus had appeared on her doorstep at some obscure hour of the evening to announce that they were going to tie the knot. _Marriage never is, even at the best of times._ Dora had known her mother was right, after all it had taken an entire day of debating to persuade Remus to show up at his future inlaws' house in the first place. Apparently there was something terribly daunting about asking a man who has never laid eyes upon you before if he would mind too much if you were to marry his one and only precious daughter who was fifteen years your junior, not forgetting to fit in somewhere that you are in actual fact a penniless werewolf and would he mind terribly contributing a large sum of gold towards a marital home, pretty please?

_Your father might say no_, Remus had pointed out as she'd marched him up the garden path and towards the front door.

_So what if he does_, Dora had told him. _Are you going to just not marry me?_

Remus had said he didn't really know, at which point Dora had landed a hefty slap upon his arm and informed him that he wasn't even going to ask Ted for permission because she didn't really care whether her parents approved or not.

She'd been lying. In actual fact she had cared a great deal. She would have been lying, too, if she had claimed that her unwavering faith in her parents' ability to accept her choices in life hadn't wavered considerably upon watching her mother answer the door.

But it hadn't really been too bad. First off, Remus had somehow plucked up the courage to ask Ted's permission anyway, and Ted hadn't laughed or shouted or thrown the nearest antique vase.

They'd had the standard conversation about how big a commitment marriage was, how it wasn't something to be taken lightly, and then they had had a very long conversation about exactly what it meant to marry "somebody like Remus." Dora had wanted to laugh when this phrase had been mentioned, because despite everything her parents were doing their very best to be delicate and polite. But after a while they had decided that delicate didn't quite work and Ted had announced that they would just have to be frank instead.

In short, Ted and Andromeda hadn't thought it was a good idea for their daughter to marry a werewolf. They'd listed a whole load of reasons; he was pretty much unemployable, she'd probably spend a whole lot of her time looking after him, sometimes he would be a burden...

And for once, Dora hadn't lost her temper. She had listened patiently to the list as it went on for what seemed like an eternity, even nodded her head in agreement a few times. And once silence finally fell over the room, she'd reached to grasp hold of Remus by the hand and told her parents:

_It won't matter. We're in love, and we'll make it work. _

And to her surprise, after a long, thoughtfully silence in which both parents stared at the couple, expressions somewhat awed, her father had said:

_I'm sure you will. _

When Dora and Remus had left some hour later, the latter exchanging reassuringly warm farewells with his future mother-in-law and a confidently firm handshake with his future father-in-law, Andromeda had told her daughter that despite their earlier conversations she was very happy for them both, and that she would always be there for Dora, should she need "a little chat."

As she stared into the blackness of her palms, Dora couldn't help but feel that she needed a little chat round about now.

The mousy haired witch got slowly to her feet and padded across the room and into the hallway, coming to a halt at the bottom of the stairs.

"TEDDY?" she called, reaching to swipe a sleeve across her watery eyes. "Ted, I'm going round to see Gran! I'll be back in about an hour, alright? Don't touch anything in the fridge while I'm gone, I've not been shopping and we'll need what's there for lunch tomorrow!"

She waited for some sort of mumbled response from her son's bedroom, but was only met with silence.

"Did you hear, Ted?" she called again after a moment. "I said I'm going to Gran's!"

More silence. Dora sighed impatiently and set off up the stairs, her steps stomping.

"Teddy?" she cried as she reached to stick her head around the bedroom door. "Are you listening? I said..."

The bedroom was empty.

Funny, Dora thought as she pushed the door open wide so that she could get a better look at the room, she had been sure that Teddy and Carrie had been upstairs. Surely she would have noticed if they had come down...

She wandered back downstairs and headed for the garden, pausing to poke her heard around the study door, only to find it empty too. The kitchen was also empty, and so was the garden.

They' must be with the owls, she realised with another impatient sigh, and with that she turned on her heel and wandered back inside, up both flights of stairs and into the messy confides of the attic room.

It was empty too.

Dora checked the bathroom and even the master bedroom, but Teddy and Carrie were nowhere to be seen.

_They've gone out without telling me_, she realised furiously as she stomped back downstairs, teeth gritted in silent fury. _They've just gone out and not even told me where they are going. _

She was going to kill that boy when he got home. Merlin knew what he was up to or indeed when he would come back. If his father's genes were anything to go by she might not see him for days. Perhaps she would finally stop threatening to burn his Chocolate Frog cards and actually do it. That'd teach him to worry her sick.

Not that Dora had been particularly worried just then. Chances were Teddy and Carrie had gone next door to watch television or use the other box thing...the compettitor or whatever it was called.

She'd gone back into the sitting room to floo her mother, since she couldn't apparate over and leave Teddy locked out of the house, only to find that Andromeda was in the middle of baking a batch of cauldron cakes.

"Is something wrong?" the elderly witch called from her position stood before the kitchen table, and her daughter had debated whether or not now was really the time for a heart to heart.

"Not really...it doesn't matter." Dora decided, and she was about to pull her head back out of the fireplace when Andromeda asked:

"You've not had a terrible falling out with Remus, then?"

"How in Merlin's name do you know that?" Dora exclaimed, eyes wide in surprise.

"Mother's instinct." Andromeda told her as she set about weighing out a generous heap of icing sugar. "Either that or he's been sitting in my sitting room."

"It's mother's instinct. Hell will freeze over the day Remus goes to see you after I've rowed with him."

"In which case, my dear late sister's toes must be getting awfully chilly down there."

Dora allowed this ridiculous piece of information to sink in for a long moment, still not entirely sure that she could believe her mother's story at all. Remus had forever been bordering on obsessed with keeping up appearances as far as his mother-in-law was concerned, to the point where after full moon he would rather spend an entire day collapsed on the sofa with a raging fever, than allow Teddy to floo and ask Andromeda come pop round and look after him. There was no chance he'd ever go round there for tea and sympathy...

Or maybe that was the whole point. He knew that it would be the last place that Dora would look for him.

"Tell him to come home!" the Auror exclaimed, craning her neck in a vain attempt to get a look through the kitchen door and into the sitting room.

"He's been and gone, I'm afraid."

"Did he say where he was going?"

"I don't care to imagine, Nymphadora. It's a dark place, wherever it is."

"What did he want?"

"Not...much."

"Mum...!"

At long last, Andromeda put down her wand and turned to face her daughter's head amongst the emerald flames.

"Remus says the family finances are starting to fall to pieces." she said, folding her arms firmly across her chest and fixing Dora with a piercing look when the Auror's eyes widened in surprise. "Yes, Nymphadora, he told ME. He also told me that if he doesn't do something within the next few weeks you'll have GOBLINS knocking on your door by the time next month comes around! And do you know what else he told me?"

Dora swallowed the lump in her throat with a feeble nod.

"He told me that if he were to come off Wolfsbane for four or five months, not only would he keep the goblins off your doorstep, he'd probably have paid back every knut he owes them. But he says you won't hear a word of it, you tell him that the idea upsets you."

"It does!" Dora informed her, utterly mortified that one miserable plan appeared to have rapidly morphed into one which was a million times worse. No Wolfsbane? For five whole months? It didn't bear thinking about...

"Whether or not it upsets you is irrelevant, Nymphadora!" Andromeda snapped furiously, and her daughter flinched at her sudden anger. "If that's what is necessary, let Remus do what is best for you and Teddy and keep your mouth shut!"

There was a long, slightly stunned silence before Dora finally managed to find her voice.

"Are you honestly telling me, Mum, that Remus came round to see you and told you to give me a telling off for failing to allow him to put his health at risk for the sake of a few galleons?"

"No," Andromeda informed her sternly. "Remus came to see me because you've grown so utterly unreasonable that you don't listen to a single word he says, so much so that he needs me to talk some SENSE into you! So, let's talk some sense, Nymphadora. First of all, we're not talking about a few galleons, Wolfsbane is one of the biggest expenses that you have to pay for every month. Secondly, you have absolutely no right to tell Remus how to manage his condition! If he wants to spend the night in one of the Ministry's centers instead of taking Wolfsbane for a month or two, that is entirely up to him! And you flying into a rage every time he tries to do something to help your situation is utterly disgraceful! How in Merlin's name he can have the courage to make such a decision is completely beyond me, if I were him I wouldn't have the guts! How can you watch him decide something like that and then just shout him down and tell him it's absurd? How can you tell him that by finding a solution to your problems he is in actual fact just hurting you? Do you have any idea how that must make him feel? Now I don't know how long all of this has been going on, or how often the two of you fight like this, this I'm telling you now, Nymphadora, it has to stop!"

Dora felt rather as though she were a child again and she had returned from school to find her mother had received countless owls from her Head of House complaining about her constant conflict with Charlie Weasley. She opened her mouth to protest, only to shut it again because But Mum seemed like too childish a beginning.

"It'll ruin his health, Mum." she pointed out instead, and Andromeda's face softened. The elderly witch reached to draw a stall up to the fireside and she sat down, dusting the flour from her hands upon the front of her apron.

"He won't bounce back as quickly as he does now, that is true."

"And...and those centers...they're worse than...than Azkaban, I swear it! And they're overcrowded! They used to have separate rooms, but now they have to double up and...and the werewolves don't like it, they pull at their chains and scratch and bite themselves to get free...he'd be a...a wreck!"

"He'll be in need of a bandage or two, yes."

"And who's going to look after him if I'm at work? I can't take extra days off and he'll need somebody around if he's in that bad a way!"

"I can do it."

"He won't like that."

"No, he won't. But he won't have a whole lot of choice. We all have to accept things we don't like, don't we, Nymphadora?"

Dora was pretty sure that this meaningful question was making her blush, though it was difficult to tell when surrounded by flames.

"What's important to remember," Andromeda went on, "is that after a few months everything will go back to normal, he'll be back on Wolfsbane and you'll have one less debt to pay off. And he'll feel a whole lot better for doing it, even if he gains a scar or two in the process."

Dora suppressed a heavy sigh. It was quite alarming, she mused, that whenever her mother described something so awful it sounded...well...not really that awful at all...

"Respect his decision, Nymphadora, and support him. He's doing it for your benefit, after all. You won't come across many people who would go to such extreme lengths for your well being in this life. Despite what people may say about your marriage, you've struck gold where that's concerned at the very least. Your father said so, even back then. You're very fortunate to have Remus, so don't make him suffer for having you."

And so it was that when she finally drew her head back out of the fire a moment later, Dora Lupin's sense of dread and despair had been replaced by a feeling of eternal optimism and good fortune, and suddenly the prospect of Remus returning home wasn't a very daunting one.

It wouldn't be too awful, not really, because she was going to remember not to complain or cry or make him feel wretched. Instead, she was going to tell him that she admired his decision beyond all reason and then he'd probably be a little stunned by the warm and fuzzy atmosphere and the apologies and the hugs, which would make it all even easier because after all that would be so like him that she'd just want to hug him even more. If he came round early enough, she'd send Teddy round to her mum's house and they could spend the evening alone, have all those conversations that needed to be had, and she'd not lose her temper or cry, not even for a second. She'd admit defeat at every turn, because she owed him that much, and then they'd probably end up curled up upon the sofa together listening to the Weird Sisters on the wireless, because he'd be feeling so cheerful by then that he wouldn't keep trying to_ turn that racket off_.

As she wandered into the kitchen to make herself a fresh cup of tea, Dora mused that really she was rather excited about the coming days, because for once things would truly have gotten better. Her talk with her mother had given her the answer to all of those difficult questions which now all seemed very simple indeed.

What was she going to do about Remus? She was going to let him win.

When would she learn not to lose her temper? Right now. Because she loved him too much to get angry.

When would Remus come home? It didn't really matter. He'd be home in his own time, when he was ready.

But when she sat down at the kitchen table a few minutes later, eyes coming to rest upon a curious object that she had been sure hadn't been there last time she had looked, it was not going to be long before Dora Lupin realised that the answer to those questions might be yet more simple still.

Because if she were to have never met her husband all those years ago at her first meeting with the Order of the Phoenix, she would never ask herself those questions in the first place.

Of course it would take some time for this realisation to occur. First, she would need to realise exactly what Teddy and Carrie had been up to that afternoon.

Dora put down her tea and reached to pick up the glittering time turner, only for a small scrap of parchment to fall into her lap. Frowning deeply, she reached to pick it up, abandoning the time turner in favour of unfolding the little note, upon which was written a date and a address.

In Remus' handwriting. She recognized it.

She looked down at the time turner again for a long moment before telling herself aloud:

"I know what that is..."

Where in Merlin's name had Remus gotten hold of a time turner?

And more importantly, why? There really was absolutely no reason that she could imagine, not in her wildest dreams, why her husband would...

_Oh._

_Oh!_

Shoving the piece of parchment into her pocket, Dora leapt to her feet and made a run for the front door. She flung it open and, quick as a flash, dashed across the driveway and up to the Winters' front door. She drew a deep, composing breath before reaching to press the doorbell.

When Carrie's mother answered a moment later, Dora found it difficult to plaster a smile across her heart-shaped face whilst attempting to ignore the apprehensive thudding of her heart against her ribcage.

"Good afternoon!" the muggle woman greeted cheerfully, and Dora barely managed a polite greeting of her own before asking:

"Are...are the children here, with you?"

Mrs. Winters' smile instantly faltered.

"No...I thought they were with you..."

"Oh!" Dora said, attempting not to sound alarmed. "Well then! I...I expect my husband must have taken them to...to the shops! I've only just got home, you see, I was wondering why the house was empty! Well...must be going, I've got a...a chicken to put in the oven..."

And with that, she turned on her heel and rushed back into the house.

She desperately attempted to think of where else Carrie and Teddy would have gone, anything to disprove the evidence that was staring her straight in the face. Missing children plus a time turner...

_Oh Merlin no. No, no, no..._

_Yes._ There was no other reasonable explanation.

She was definitely going to have to kill them when they got home. _Both_ of them.

She went back into the kitchen to stare at the time turner, resignation slowly sinking in as she picked it up to examine it.

Where in Merlin's name had they got it? Or even used it, the chain wasn't big enough to slip her little finger through...

She didn't even want to think about the havoc that they could cause with it, either. She couldn't even imagine, she vaguely remembered Professor Binns droning on about the effects that time travelers could have on the world, indeed she had stopped listening after a while because it had made her teenaged brain boggle.

She reached into her pocket and drew out the scrap of parchment again, and at the sight of Remus' handwriting and the address that she recognized as being that of his childhood home, she suddenly found herself feeling rather light headed.

They've gone and met Remus in the past, she realized weakly, reaching to grasp hold of the back of a chair. Merlin, what if they said something, did something, what if...!

She sucked in a deep, calming breath and attempted to tell herself that she had raised a sensible, careful son who was thankfully enough like his father that he wouldn't mess this up.

Except of course that he had gotten himself into this absurd situation in the first place.

That was probably Carrie's doing, somehow. It always was.

_That girl...! _

Dora stuffed both the parchment and the time turner into her pocket and turned to march herself back out of the kitchen, down the hallway and into the living room, where she hastily grabbed a fistful of floo powder and apparated to the Ministry.

As she strode purposefully across the highly polished floor of the Atrium, mumbling greetings to anybody who offered her a good afternoon, it seemed to the Deputy Head of Aurors that she was on some form of autopilot, which seemed strange because this was a situation that she had never even imagined herself getting into before. As she jabbed impatiently at the button for the lift, she supposed it was because she was rather lost in her thoughts about the countless repercussions that could occur should Carrie manage to screw up the past in some shape or form.

Because it would be Carrie. It always was.

_That girl...!_

If the Ministry found out about this there would be absolute hell to pay! That was assuming there even was a Ministry once she had returned Carrie and Teddy to the present. She wouldn't put it past Carrie to mess that up somehow too...

She'd probably return to find the Ministry a distant memory, with Death Eaters and Voldemort in it's place...

Sweet Merlin. She was going to land herself in the middle of the First Wizarding War...

War. Again. Bloody hell...

But of course all she was going to do was grab the children and get the hell out of there. That would be it. She wouldn't hang around to see what Remus was like as a teenager, or maybe bump into the Marauders or other Order members. She certainly wouldn't bump into Bellatrix or something ridiculous like that...

She was standing outside of the Office of Confiscated Magical Artifacts and she didn't quite remember how she had gotten there.

_Focus, Dora. _

She knocked upon the door, reaching into her pocket to draw out the time turner, before opening the door when a murmur from inside permitted her to enter.

"Another one?" the wizard behind the desk asked in surprise as she strode across the threshold and up to stand before him. "Aurors hit the jackpot, did they?"

"Something like that." Dora mumbled, clearing her throat and remembering to smile.

"What've you got for me?"

"It's a time turner. Somebody will be sending you the documents shortly, I was on my way home so I thought I'd pop it down to you." Not waiting for a response, she made a beeline for the cabinet in the corner of the room. "This drawer here, is it? Don't get up, you look really busy."

"Oh...yes, yes that's the one, thanks." the elderly wizard said, reaching to scribble a note upon a piece of parchment before him, and Dora reached to pull open the drawer to drop the time turner into the mass of spindly object within. And with only the briefest glance behind her to make sure she wasn't being watched, she reached to select another time turner, this one a bright golden colour with a suitably long chain. The Auror hastily slipped it into her pocket and reached to push the drawer shut.

"Try not to get buried under that paperwork, eh?" she joked with a wide smile, turning on her heel and hurrying back towards the door, and he rolled his eyes without looking up and murmured;

"See you then, Tonks."

As she headed back to the lift, Dora tried her best not to think of just how many rules she had broken in the previous few minutes, nor indeed what would become of her should her thieving be discovered. It was probably best she didn't relay her antics over coffee with Kingsley the following morning when they met for their weekly meeting that they both knew full well didn't really have anything at all to do with the Ministry or work. She didn't care to imagine what he would have to say to her, or indeed what he would have to say to Remus – after all it was thanks to Remus' grovelling with the Minister that Carrie had been saved from Obliviation all those years ago, leaving her to cause chaos in the Wizarding world at every opportunity that presented itself to her.

_That girl, honestly...!_

_Find the children and come home, find the children and come home. Nothing else. Find them and get out of there..._

Half an hour had passed and Dora was stood before the mirror in her hallway, staring at the unrecognizable face that she had morphed as a disguise for her mission, the stolen time turner waiting patiently upon the chain around her neck.

She pursed her lips together and frowned before reaching to brush a strand of frizzy brown hair away from her face. Her stomach clenched anxiously at the thought of the task ahead. Though in essence it was all perfectly simple, it worried her all the same. She had thought of sending Remus a message via patronus, though it had quickly occurred to her that technically he was already involved in this mess and involving a second him was probably a fatally flawed plan. No, she was just going to have to do this on her own.

It was going to be easy, she assured herself with a silent nod, and yet she knew full well that she didn't believe herself.

Nevertheless, she allowed herself one last calming breath before heading out of the house, up the street and into the alleyway that usually served as the family's apparation point.

And with that, she carefully held the time turner up in front of her, eying it warily for a long moment before carefully beginning to turn the spindly mechanism back, listening intently to it's clicks and doing her level best to ignore the sudden blurriness of the world around her...

Only she lost her nerve before the final too clicks, paranoid not to end up too far into the past, clamping her fingers around the time turner to stop it dead.

The world around her stopped shifting, and the Auror let out a sigh of relief. She wasted no time in carefully lifting the chain free of her neck and storing the time turner carefully away in her pocket, before taking her first slightly shaky steps out into the streets of 1970's Eddington.

It looked remarkably similar to the Eddington that she had just left, though as she retreated back down the alleyway a moment later, Dora was pretty sure that her next destination was going to look startlingly different.

Dora had only ever visited the village of Kindlewood once, some months after the War had ended and she and Remus had finally begun to settle down to life as parents. At the time they had yet to save up enough money to move out of Andromeda's house, apparently babies didn't come cheap, and in an attempt to get out from under her mother's feet the couple had taken baby Teddy and a camera on numerous trips out to places of interest, with the view to taking photographs to put in a album, so that one day their son might learn a little family history. The cottages, including the old Lupin home, had all been derelict save for one at the end of the row that had been occupied by an ancient and somewhat blind widowed witch who had spotted the family from her bedroom window and, so surprised to see a living soul in the area, had offered them a cup of tea. At learning that it was the Lupins' house that they had come to see, the wizened woman had recalled that she remembered the Lupin family well.

_They had a little boy_, she'd told the couple as Remus had sat bouncing Teddy up and down upon his knee. _I say little, he was little when I first saw him, I used to see him running around outside most mornings before his mother called him in for lunch. Then of course he grew up and went away to school, but I'd see him during the holidays. Sometimes his mother used to send him to the shops for me to fetch me a pint of milk. He was a nice boy...nicely mannered and you know, I had absolutely no idea, not until I read about him in the Prophet years later!_

_No idea about what? _Dora had asked, as Remus had been momentarily distracted by Teddy's determination to yank out a good baby-sized fistful of his hair.

_He was a werewolf! Who'd have thought it?_

_Goodness_, Dora had said, pausing to drain the last of her cup of tea. _Did you hear that, Sweetheart? A werewolf!_

And Remus had managed to raise an eyebrow and murmured:

_Who would have thought it?_

The Kindlewood of Remus' teenaged years was showing the early signs of decay, yet the gardens were full of brightly coloured flowers and it looked charming rather than grim.

Not that Dora was there to enjoy the scenery.

_Grab the children and leave..._

Except marching up to the Lupins' front door and simply asking for them to hand the children over might not be the brightest idea. Chances were, of course, that they were expecting her and yet she was wary to make such an assumption in a situation as precarious as this. After all, it had been Mad-Eye Moody himself who had once told her (or perhaps twice...several...countless times):

_Never assume anything. _

No, Dora was going to wait until she caught sight of either Teddy or Carrie before making her move...

It was at that moment that she caught sight of movement out of the corner of her eye, and she turned to peer through the trees, eyes coming to rest upon a figure dressed in a lemon blouse walking away from her and into the woods.

_Carrie! _

The Auror resisted the urge to shout the girl's name aloud because she had a funny feeling that she might end up shouting other things too. Angry, furious things that really ought be saved for later. And so she set carefully off after the child, silently cursing the fact that she was going to have to try and be stealthy amongst slippery leaves and tree roots.

When she watched Carrie come to an abrupt halt behind a tree, peering into a little grassy clearing beyond, Dora had wasted no time in creeping up behind her, pausing briefly to muse that really Remus was right about this child. Carrie Winters really was the biggest muggle that ever there was, especially if she could fail to notice somebody as clumsy as Dora sneaking up behind her.

Despite herself, Dora couldn't help but grin.

And with that grin still plastered upon her disguised face, Dora pounced.

Carrie had put up a surprisingly feeble fight. The Auror had expected a few more kicks and scratching fingernails, but nevertheless had consented to put the girl out of her misery once they were a safe distance away with a whispered:

"Wotcher, Carrie love."

No sooner had she removed her hand from Carrie's mouth, the muggle had spun around to face her with a squealed:

"DORA!"

"Shhhh!" Dora hissed, stumbling a little as Carrie flung her arms around her and buried her face in the front of her robes. "For the love of Merlin, Carrie! What on earth have you been up to? Where's Teddy?"

In response, the muggle let out a muffled sob, and the Auror felt her fury instantly dull. With a heavy sigh, she reached to her arms around the girl.

"I'm...I'm sorry Dora. I'm really, really sorry..."

"Alright, Carrie. Calm down, We can talk about it later, we'll just go and find Ted and get out of here first..."

"No..."

"No?"

"No...!"

Dora felt her stomach clench in panic and she reached to prise the sobbing teenager away from her, holding her at arms length as she demanded to know:

"Why not?"

Carrie's only response was to hang her head in shame.

"I...I'm sorry, Dora, I...I was just...just trying to help him...I...I didn't mean for it to happen, really I didn't..."

Dora's grip upon the muggle's shoulders tightened and despite herself she gave the girl a firm shake.

"What have you done, Carrie?"

"It...it was an...an accident..."

"Tell me."

At long last, Carrie raised a feeble arm and pointed back towards the grassy clearing.

Dora released her in order to draw a deep, apprehensive breath before leaving the sniveling girl and creeping back towards the clearing. She took Carrie's place behind the tree and for a long moment stared at the bark upon the trunk, steeling herself for whatever it was that she was about to lay eyes upon...

When she finally did lay eyes upon her husband's eighteen year old self, sat snugly under a tree with a girlfriend that last time she had checked he had never even had, Dora turned to lean back against the tree trunk, squeezing her eyes shut at the wave of nausea that washed over her at the sight. She reached to claw her fingers against the bark in an attempt to steady the dizzying sensation and sucked in a another deep breath.

It took her several minutes before she trusted herself to open her eyes again, and as she slowly ensured that her feet were planted firmly upon the floor, hands still clutching the tree trunk, she found that Carrie was stared at her, chewing nervously upon a thumb nail.

It was not for another long minute that the Auror's mind recovered enough to silently curse her son's choice in friends.

Over the years Dora had often suspected that having a child would ruin her marriage one way or another, but in all honesty she had never expected something quite as ridiculous as this...


	15. The Captive

_Note: Thanks once again to my kind reviewers! Here is a shiny new chapter for you, I hope you all enjoy it! _

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter._

**15: The Captive **

_I told him what you told me._

_I didn't mean for him to listen. _

_I mean I did...but I didn't..._

Irony.

It was a bitch.

Dora Lupin scowled down at her shoes.

"We're sorry, Mum." her son mumbled guiltily from his position stood before her. "It was sort of an accident..."

_Shut up, shut up..._

Beside Teddy, Carrie was still busy sniveling into a handkerchief.

"I...I didn't mean it..." the muggle whimpered for the umpteenth time.

_Shut up, shut up, shut up..._

"I'll...I'll fix things..." the girl babbled, face flushed pink and damp with tears. "I'll...I'll fix it, I promise I...I..."

"We'll think of something, Mum!"

"Yes! We'll think of s...something..."

"Exactly, we'll..."

Dora snapped.

"SHUT UP! Both of you! You're not going to FIX anything! You're going to...to sit down on this wall here and not move a MUSCLE! Not a single muscle, not one! Do you understand?"

There was a slightly stunned paused before Teddy obediently mumbled:

"Yes Mum."

Carrie only managed an odd sort of squeak.

"Good." Dora said through clenched teeth, and as they dropped down upon the wall either side of her, she got heavily to her feet, shoving her hand purposefully into her pocket and drawing out her wand.

"What are you going to do?" Teddy asked weakly, and with only brief consideration the Deputy Head of Aurors decided:

"I'm going to obliviate the pair of them."

Carrie let out a choked gasp of horror and Teddy swallowed a lump in his throat.

"Mum...are you sure you should mess around with..."

"Believe me, Theodore. I am not messing around."

"But..."

"Stay there and don't move."

As she strode off back towards the woods, heart beginning to thump hurriedly in her chest again at the thought that she hadn't cast a memory charm in Merlin knew how long, she was irritated to hear hurried footsteps following her and a hand reached to cling on to her arm.

"Dora...Dora do you...do you have to obliviate them? Can't you just...can't you just explain to Remus that he's not supposed to...to be with Anya?"

"It doesn't work like that, Carrie love." the Auror murmured, refusing to slow her pace as the muggle hurried to keep up with her long strides.

"But...why not?"

"I can't just walk up to them and say sorry, you're not meant to be together."

"Why not?"

At last, Dora came to an abrupt halt and Carrie narrowly avoiding walking into the back of her.

"Because," the witch said as she turned to face the muggle. "If I did that they'd want to know why. And I can't tell Remus why, Carrie. I can't tell him that he's going to get married one day..."

"Why not? You don't have to tell him who..."

"Because Remus didn't believe that when he was eighteen! He didn't believe it until I convinced him! And if he started to believe it now, Merlin knows what he might do! He doesn't marry me for another nineteen years! He'll meet a hell of a load of people in nineteen years, who's to say if he believes he can he won't marry one of them instead? And what else would I say to them? If you were them and a complete and utter stranger walked up and told you to split up, what would you do? You'd go and tell them to jump off the Hogwarts Astronomy Tower, that's what!"

Carrie stared up at her for a long, despairing moment before complaining:

"But...but obliviation is...is HORRIBLE!"

"Carrie," Dora said, chuckling somewhat disbelievingly. "If Remus doesn't marry me, Teddy won't be born, you won't meet us and you'll never have gone back in time in the first place, which means Anya and Remus wouldn't have been together, then it all gets absurdly complicated. And do you know what that is?"

Carrie merely stared at her in silence.

"It's a time paradox." Dora explained, folding her arms firmly across her chest. "A endless loop. It's an impossible situation and if I don't go and fix it not even Merlin knows what would happen."

In a strange sort of way, Dora was rather relieved at the prospect of a paradox. At least if she made a complete mess of the memory charms the world would implode or cease to exist or whatever it was that Merlin didn't know. At least there was no chance that she would have to truly lose Remus before he'd even met her.

At least she wouldn't exist to regret doing it all wrong, either.

It was a calming thought. Or at least she thought it was once she had shooed Carrie back to sit and wait with Teddy. By the time she reached the cover of the trees, however, the Deputy Head of Aurors was feeling nervous.

Because really, it would be an awful shame to be responsible for the End of Existence or Whatever It Was.

_Don't think about. Concentrate, Dora..._

"It's my favourite book in the whole entire world!"

At the sound of a girl's voice, the Auror froze.

"I've not read it." Remus' voice admitted, and Dora hastily made a leap for the nearest tree trunk.

"A book you haven't read?" Anya exclaimed as the two teenagers emerged hand in hand from the trees ahead and onto the rough dirt path. "Surely not! I'll have to lend it to you."

"I'd like that."

"I'll find it for you this evening, it's in my brother's room somewhere."

"You better not tell people it's your favourite book, what with all those poisonings and murders in it! You'll never get a job in an apothecary if you do."

"Did I tell you there was an advert in the Prophet the other day?"

"Hm?"

"Yeah...there's a little apothecary down one of the side streets near Diagon Alley, they're after an assistant. I was thinking I might apply." Anya said as the pair passed Dora's hiding place.

"That sounds good."

Dora silently began to count to three, wand grasped tightly in her hand, the tip trained upon Anya's back as she prepared to strike...

"Mm...Dad's dead against it, says it's too close to Knockturn, you get all sorts of dodgy characters in there...what do you think?"

"Well..." Remus began, just as Dora finished her countdown and took a bold step out from behind the tree...

A twig snapped beneath her foot.

And within a flash, Remus had spun around to face her, wand snatched hastily out of his pocket as he pointed it directly at his future wife's face.

Their eyes met half a second later and a tense silence fell over the surrounding area.

Bugger, Dora silently cursed as she stared at the unblinking, suspicious young man before her. Bugger, bugger, bugger...

"Alright kid," the Auror instructed in the most casual tone she could muster as Remus reached to pull Anya back a few steps until she was behind him. "Put the wand down."

The young werewolf offered her a poor imitation of a smile as he suggested:

"Ladies first."

Dora smiled thinly back at him.

"No really," she insisted, "put it down."

"You're going to have to disarm me, I'm afraid." he told her apologetically.

_Git_, Dora thought irritably, but then again she should have expected no less.

"Who is she?" Anya hissed from her position cowered behind the werewolf's back. "What...what does she want?"

"I have no idea." Remus mumbled, grip upon his wand tightening.

He looked a bit nervous, truth be told. It was...oddly endearing, Dora mused, she wasn't used to him being nervous, but then again she wasn't used to him being eighteen either...

_Merlin...Remus at eighteen! Look at that!_

_Focus, Dora..._

She hastily reached into the pocket of her robes, which seemed to alarm the teenagers a little because their eyes both widened anxiously, fumbling around to unzip her purse and find what she was looking for...

_Aha..._

"Auror Department." she supplied at last, producing the shiny badge from her purse as evidence and flashing it at them fast enough that they couldn't catch the Nymphadora Lupin inscribed underneath. "I'll say it one more time, shall I? Drop the wand."

"Please."

"Excuse me?"

"You meant: Drop the wand please."

Dora had to bite her tongue. The urge to shouted: DON'T BE SUCH A GIT, REMUS, was almost overpowering. After all this was a conversation that she had in actual fact had with him on countless occasions before. Or possibly later. She wasn't sure which.

_Pass the gravy, love._

_Please._

_Remus!_

_It's pass the gravy, please._

_Don't be such a git, Remus...fine! Pass the gravy PLEASE!_

_I'm going to be late for work, let me get out of bed._

_Please._

_For the love of Merlin! I'm already late!_

_Yes, but it's let me get out of bed please._

_Don't be such a git, Remus!_

_Just say it, then._

_Let me get out of bed PLEASE, before I curse that smile right off your face!_

It meant he was stalling and fast running out of ideas of how to do so. He wanted to drown his entire dinner in gravy before she got the chance. He was bored and wanted her to stay with him for just a little longer...

He didn't want to give up his wand.

Dora supposed that she ought put him out of his misery, disarm him and have done with it, but a part of her was rather enjoying the whole bizarre situation.

"If it's Death Eaters you're after, you won't find any here." Remus told her as Anya peered over at the stranger from around his shoulder. "We've nothing to do with anything like that, far from it..."

"Actually," Dora decided upon the spur of the moment. "I'm not after Death Eaters, I'm after werewolves."

Remus instantly paled, his grip upon his wand slackening a little as he drew a deep slightly shuddered breath.

"Oh..." he managed, his nerve instantly shaken, only for a couple of soft pops to sound from somewhere behind him. At the sound of them, his confidence was instantly bolstered as he tightened his grip upon his wand again.

"Thank Merlin..." he breathed, before drawing a deep lungful of air in order to bellow: "FRANK! ALICE!"

As she watched the two scarlet-robed figures of Frank and Alice Longbottom come dashing through the trees towards her, Dora felt a dull sense of resignation dawn upon her as Remus told the new arrivals:

"This woman's been following us, she claims she's an Auror."

_Bugger_, Dora thought again as the Longbottoms stared at her accusingly when Frank told Remus:

"I've never seen her before in my life."

Remus' grip upon his wand slackened worriedly again as he glanced sideways at the two Aurors beside him.

"So...so she's...not...?"

"She's not an Auror." Alice confirmed, and before she knew it, Dora found herself confronted with three drawn wands instead of one.

_Oh sweet Merlin..._

She supposed she was supposed to say something, tell them that she could explain everything, but they were much too busy talking amongst themselves.

"Oh Merlin..." Remus hissed, shuffling backwards a step and reaching to put a horrified hand to his mouth. "I...I think she's...I think he...he's...! Oh Merlin..."

Dora watched in mortified silence as Alice Longbottom reached to put a steadying hand upon the werewolf's shoulder.

"You think he what, Remus?" she said as Anya grasped hold of the back of Remus' shirt in apparent terror.

"I think...I think he knows...about...about me. Voldemort knows about me."

"What makes you think that?" Frank asked, sounding mildly interested rather than alarmed, and for that alone Dora knew that he was without question a great Auror.

"Well...well she," Remus mumbled, giving his wand a slight wave in Dora's direction. "She said she was...looking for werewolves! And...and we all know who he's recruiting right now, don't we? And...and she's here...following me!"

At being labeled a Death Eater, Dora was sorely tempted to shout and tell them all that she was just here to get Joshua and Cleo, but she wasn't terribly sure that that would go down well...

_Again, bugger..._

_Say something...anything..._

Really she should have sat down and had a proper think about what she would do should a situation like this occur, but she'd not really envisaged things turning out like this...either she'd cast the charm right or wrong...not fail to cast it at all...

Well, she realised as Remus lowered his wand, distracted by a hurried, hushed conversation as he and the two Aurors discussed exactly what they were going to do with their Death Eater captive, there was really only one course of action that sprung to mind...

_Run away._

The Longbottoms were only given a fraction of a second's warning that Dora was about to disappear into thin air.

But fortunately for them, and very unfortunately for her, a fraction of a second seemed ample time to respond.

As she felt the hexes strike her squarely in the chest, causing her entire body go rigid as a board, followed by the unmistakeably sensation of gravity tugging her roughly from her feet, Dora Lupin couldn't help but recall an early encounter with Alastor Mad-Eye Moody, some weeks after she had first begun training to qualify as an Auror. Having observed the new recruits for near on an hour with a distinctly sour expression upon his face, the grizzled old wizard had remarked loudly to the room at large;

_They don't make them like they used to, mark my words! _

As a series of cuttingly tight ropes sprung out of thin air and set about winding themselves securely about her person until it became a noticeable effort for her to breathe, Dora Lupin gazed despairingly up at the treetops, a dull ache blossoming across the back of her head.

_No Mad-Eye_, she agreed with a inward sigh of resignation. _They really don't. _

Carrie Winters hadn't cried this much since she was eleven years old.

Not since the last time she'd ruined Dora's life.

Back then, when there had been the shrieking and the sobbing and the hospital and the relentless weeping and the dead baby, Carrie had been convinced that her escapades in the Wizarding World were without question over for good. She'd expected the Lupins to blame her for the whole sorry incident, rather like she did herself. But they had been surprisingly understanding, Dora had even insisted that it wasn't really Carrie's fault.

Except of course that Carrie could never quite bring herself to believe this. As far as the muggle was concerned it had all been her doing.

She'd promised herself she would change. She'd promised again after Knockturn Alley, too, and yet here she was. She'd done it again, this time worse.

And this time, Dora wasn't being terribly understanding. Not understanding at all. There was no good reason why she would be, either, because even Carrie couldn't find somebody else to blame for this latest blunder.

This was it, the muggle thought hopelessly as she continued to sob into Teddy Lupin's shoulder, I'm going to lose everything. I'm going to lose Teddy, I'm going to lose his parents, I'm going to lose the magic. They're going to hate me, dump me back in my own boring little world and pretend I don't exist.

They might even move. Leave Eddington, go somewhere far away where she couldn't mess up their lives on a regular basis...

And then she'd just be Carrie. Not Carrie with the magical secret, not even Carrie the Token Muggle amongst wizards. Just boring Carrie with her normal boring life, boring friends and boring family. Carrie without her best friend...

"Don't worry, Carrie," the best friend in question assured her as she flung her arms around him in distress at the notion. "Mum'll fix things, it'll be fine..."

"Y...your mum and dad always fix things!" Carrie complained, voice high and squeaky in her agitation. "They...they are always fixing things that I mess up! Well...well they must...must be getting sick of me!"

"Sick of you?" Teddy repeated with a chuckle of disbelief. "Don't be silly, Carrie, of course Mum and Dad aren't sick of you..."

"They will be now!"

"Nah," Teddy insisted, patting her comfortingly upon the back as she let out another wail of despair. "If anything, Dad'll be dead annoyed that he missed all of this...as an adult, I mean. Do you have any idea how boring his life would be if you weren't around to cause him chaos every summer? He'd probably end up watching paint dry or something..."

"B...but...but your mum...!"

"Got into about as much trouble as you did when she was our age. She's lucky to have made it to adulthood with fully functioning ears the amount Gran used to shout at her. Listen, Carrie, Mum's utterly livid, that's true, but that doesn't mean she hates you or anything. She and Dad just want what's best for us, and let's face it, breaking a time turner and getting ourselves sent back in time so that we can screw up the future isn't really what's best, is it? And if Mum wasn't furious, you wouldn't be crying your eyes out right now, which means you probably wouldn't have learnt..."

Teddy trailed off into silence, his grip upon Carrie suddenly slackening.

"Oh dear..." the metamorphmagus mumbled, gazing with wide eyes over the top of Carrie's head towards the trees opposite.

"W...what is it?" Carrie wondered with a sniff, slowly withdrawing her face from his shoulder so that she could peer around to see what he was looking at.

Remus and a distinctly ashen-faced Anya were stumbling out from the trees, his arm around her as she clung to the front of his shirt, cheeks distinctly shiny from tears.

"They don't look very obliviated..." Teddy observed in an undertone, just as three more figures emerged behind the pair.

As he observed Frank and Alice Longbottom striding triumphantly out onto the road, levitating a tightly bound captive that he recognized as his mother along between them, Teddy Lupin felt his throat go dry.

"Oh Merlin..." the young wizard breathed, as beside him Carrie reached to clamp a horrified hand to her mouth.

"Joshua, Cleo! Get inside the house!"

At the sound of Remus calling them, the two time travelers exchanged a panicked glance.

"What do we do?" Carrie hissed, hastily reaching to swipe the tears from her eyes.

"Er..." Teddy mumbled, only for Remus to demand:

"Hurry up!"

The duo got hurriedly to their feet and made their way over towards the others, just in time for Alice Longbottom to inquire:

"How do you suppose your parents will feel about housing a Death Eater for an hour or two?"

"They'll cope." Remus muttered as he reached to fling the door open, Anya still clinging to his side.

As she found herself ushered inside by the tall wizard who she assumed had to be Frank Longbottom, Carrie chanced a glance at Dora's face. It was frozen in a distinctly irritated expression. Had she not been so utterly overwhelmed by the sudden turn of events, Carrie might have giggled.

"You better set some wards on the house, Frank." Alice told her husband, and with that she levitated the accused through the doorway after the others.

John and Rhea Lupin looked up from their respective copies of the Evening Prophet to stare at the motley assortment of people who were shuffling into their sitting room. Carrie couldn't help but think that John looked somewhat unimpressed.

"Remus...?"

"We've got visitors, Dad." Remus informed them unnecessarily as Anya at last saw fit to release him. His father's face contorted in an odd mixture of confusion and annoyance, but before he could say a word, Alice Longbottom had strode across the room towards him and stuck her hand out for him to shake.

"Alice Longbottom, Mr. Lupin." the Auror supplied amiably as his manners dictated that John look charmed and shake her by the hand. "My husband Frank and I were just coming to collect Cleo and Joshua."

"And who's that?" John inquired uncertainly with a nod in Dora's direction, only for Remus to mumble:

"Never mind her, Dad, we need to borrow the spare room..."

"We're not entirely sure who she is." Alice admitted hurriedly when Remus' lack of explanation only served to irritate his father further. "We'll be keeping hold of her here for a while though, if you wouldn't mind too much."

John leaned forward in his chair, eying Dora with a very deep frown.

"You've got her tied up." he observed hesitantly, only for his wife to explain:

"Oh Merlin John! Look what he's done! Bringing...bringing HOSTAGES into the house and...and...!"

"For goodness sake, Mum!"  
"Be quiet Remus..."

"But Dad she's being ridiculous!"

"She most certainly is not! I'm telling you now, this isn't on! First you want us to shelter a couple of...of runaways or whatever they are! And now...now you're bringing a...a DEATH EATER or Merlin knows what into the house! I'm sorry Mrs. Longbottom, you can't possibly keep her here, I won't have us put at risk. It's bad enough Remus going off and doing Merlin knows what to draw attention to himself without this too!"

"Fair enough." Alice began as Rhea promptly burst into tears. "It's your family and your home after all. We'll take her somewhere else..."

"You won't."

"Yes Remus, we will."

"But..."

"Go and owl Dumbledore, tell him what's happened. Frank and I will take her with us."

There was a long pause as Remus debated whether or not to argue, only for Alice to insist:

"Go on, brief letter now and a full account for the rest of the Order next meeting."

In response, Remus gave a small nod and headed for the stairs, only to pause to turn and offer his father a mournful look.

"I'm ashamed of you." he said, voice not much more than a murmur, though the cutting announcement carried across the room and made John's eyes widen a little, wounded. Everybody else suddenly seemed very interested in their shoes, except Rhea who was sobbing into her hands. Silence descended upon the room as the werewolf stomped his way upstairs and it was not until he had disappeared into his bedroom, slamming the door shut behind him, that Alice cleared her throat meaningfully and told his parents:

"Don't take it personally, will you? They're all the same, the younger ones I mean. We can all use some enthusiasm for the cause in dark times like these, don't get me wrong, but they get so fired up and righteous at times that they forget people aren't all like them."

"Dumbledore recruiting a lot of younger ones then?" John asked her disapprovingly, but she merely shrugged and told him:

"Remus will grow out of it."

"If he lives long enough to grow at all."

Alice Longbottom smiled reassuringly, reaching to fold her arms across her chest.

"If any do, he will." she informed the hostile wizard before her confidently. "Your son has a good head on his shoulders and he duels more confidently than some of the third year Auror cadets."

"How would you know that?" Rhea whimpered, peering up at the Auror through the gaps between her fingers. "He's...he's not been...been fighting, has he? N...not my boy..."

"Of course he hasn't, dear!" John told her hurriedly, reaching to pat her gingerly upon the arm, and Alice hesitated for a long moment before deciding:

"No...we like to practice at meetings sometimes. We duel one another."

Carrie couldn't help but think that this was a bare-faced lie, but it seemed good enough for Rhea who let out a small sigh of relief, slumping further forward in her chair.

"We'll be on our way then, shall we?" Alice suggested, turning hastily towards the door, eyes coming to rest upon Carrie and Teddy with a bright smile. "You must be Cleo and Joshua," she observed cheerily as she reached to draw the wand from her pocket. "Lovely to meet you! I suppose Remus has told you that you'll be staying with Frank and I, hasn't he?"

Teddy appeared to have gone rather pale, so Carrie attempted to smile brightly back at the Auror.

"Yes he has."

"Excellent, we'll be on our way then, shall we?"

"C'mon Josh." Carrie murmured, reaching to give her friend's arm a tug, and Teddy gave himself a little shake before glancing over at his grandparents.

"Thank you for having us, Mr. and Mrs. Lupin." he told them, and despite his earlier grumbling John smiled and told him:

"You're very welcome."

Carrie had barely murmured similar thanks before Alice had ushered both them and Anya back outside to where Frank was waiting, levitating a still-bound Dora after them. As the two Auror spoke reassuringly to Anya in hushed tones, Carrie and Teddy dared to tiptoe over to the captive, peering up at her face worriedly.

The effects of the double hexes were just beginning to ease, for Dora managed to twitch her lips.

"Mum...?" Teddy hissed worriedly as Carrie glanced back over to check that nobody was watching.

"Do...nothin'." Dora managed to breathe, causing Teddy to shuffle a little closer so that he could hear her.

"Do nothing?"

"Mm."

"Are you sure?"  
"Mm."

"What are they going to do with you?"

"I wouldn't get too close if I were you." Frank's voice suggested from behind them, and the two teenagers leapt back from Dora in surprise. "I don't expect she has a whole lot to say for herself, anyway."

Dora attempted to lean forwards towards the Auror as he approached, but managed nothing much besides a squirm.

"Do you have something to say?" Frank asked, one eyebrow arched in surprise as behind them Alice led Anya back towards her cottage.

"I do." Dora mumbled as he took another step towards her.

"Well I'm afraid I don't talk much with Death Eaters. That's what the court does."

"Lucky for you...I'm not a Death Eater."

"I can't say I believe that."

"That's okay. I don't want to talk to you anyway. I want to talk to somebody else."

"Oh really?"

Carrie felt apprehension assault her chest as Frank took another step forward, face mere inches from Dora's as he stared at her with challenging, unblinking eyes.

Dora stared defiantly back at him, apparently entirely intimidated.

"Who's that then?" Frank inquired as the staring contest went on, and Dora's lips managed to twitch towards a smile as she informed him:

"Lily Evans. I want to talk to Lily Evans."


	16. In the Basement

_Note: Hello again! It's probably been a while, sorry about that, I'm currently very busy with University and will be so for a few weeks yet! Still, I've managed to finish off this chapter for you, I hope you all enjoy reading it! _

_There is a note regarding The Dark Creature's Child and Snatch and Grab on my profile, if anybody is waiting for an update. _

_I apologize for the shockingly boring title of this chapter, apparently my creative juices just ran dry..._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor am I making any profit from this piece of writing._

**16: In The Basement **

The Longbottoms lived in a large, detached house atop a hill that overlooked a small town of red bricked houses. One of the first things that Carrie noticed about the house when she shuffled over the threshold just behind Teddy was that it had a basement, because Frank wasted no time in bundling a still-bound Dora down a narrow staircase and into the dimly lit room in question.

The time travelers were left little time to wonder exactly what would become of Dora because Alice ushered them upstairs to show them to their rooms, chattering cheerily as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened at all.

"...and this will be your room, Cleo," the Auror announced as she opened the door at the very end of the landing, leading the way inside. As Carrie and Teddy shuffled after her, she shot them an apologetic look as she said: "You'll have to excuse the wallpaper, it's probably not your taste!"

Carrie eyed the pale lemon walls complete with teddy bear print with a vague smile. When her eyes came to rest upon the crib in one corner she asked:

"Are you um...expecting?"

"Not yet." Alice said brightly as she went to smooth the sheets of the single bed that had been squeezed into the opposite corner. "We hope to eventually...we'd like things to calm down a bit first...this isn't the best of times for a baby, after all...but you never know! Now then, Joshua, you'll be next door..."

As Teddy followed Alice back out into the hallway and into another room, Carrie lingered. She wandered over to the crib, reaching absentmindedly to finger the plush moon and stars that hung as a mobile over the bed. It would only be a few years, she mused, before baby Neville would be lying asleep in that cot, wrapped up in those blankets. He would be unspeakably precious, too. Seemingly Frank and Alice had been planning his arrival years in advance...

Carrie wondered how long they would have to treasure their child before Bellatrix Lestrange caught up with them, tortured them until they couldn't think to treasure anything at all...

"I'll leave you to settle in...in fact I tell you what, I'll make you both a nice mug of cocoa before bed!" Alice's voice announced from the hallway, and Carrie shuddered at her cheerfulness. The muggle hastily abandoned her examination of the crib as Alice headed back towards the stairs.

"I'll fetch you some pajamas, too. We'll have to shrink some of ours, I suppose you were all much too distracted to remember to pack a bag..."

As Alice headed downstairs, Carrie hastily reached to grab hold of Teddy by the arm.

"I'm not sleeping in there!" she hissed as he turned to regard her with solemn eyes. "I...I can't, I won't, I...you have to swap with me!"

Teddy glanced over his shoulder at the lemon bedroom, brow creasing reluctantly.

"Carrie..."

"Please, Ted!"

"But it's...that's Neville's room and..."

"Exactly! I can't stand it, they're so...so prepared! It's like he's already been born and...and she's so lovely and cheerful and...and they're going to..."

"I know."

At the grim tone of Teddy's voice, Carrie paused, midway through drawing breath to beg him further, only for the deeply troubled expression upon his face to suddenly register in her head.

I snapped Bellatrix's shears.

It was the phrase that Molly Weasley had once used to describe her defeat of Voldemort's most crazed follower when Carrie had first stayed the night at the Lupins' house and the extended friends and family had sat down to tell the children a long and extremely confusing account of Harry's early life and the War.

Carrie had thought this a downright bizarre description of Bellatrix's death, though nobody had bothered to explain it, the only person to make any real response was Dora, whose expression had momentarily grown fiercely smug.

When she had asked Teddy some time later what Molly Weasley had meant by the phrase, the young wizard had visibly shuddered and told her that he didn't like to talk about it.

And so naturally, Carrie had marched herself downstairs from Teddy's room and into the living room to ask Remus.

Bellatrix had been on a personal little mission, Teddy's father had informed the muggle, a phrase in itself that had sent a shiver down Carrie's spine. She was said to be looking to prune her family tree.

She meant to murder us, he'd explained casually as he sat upon the sofa. Dora, Teddy and I. She knocked Dora down a flight of stairs at the Department of Mysteries and landed her in Mungo's for a few days. They made quite a mess of one another at the Battle of Hogwarts, too, and she'd go quite berserk if she ever caught sight of me...more berserk than usual, I mean. He'd paused to finger a particularly predominant scar that ran along his jawline, which Carrie had paled at the sight of, before telling her: But of course Molly finished her off in the end. Snapped her shears.

And then he'd smiled in an oddly fond manner and gone back to examining the papers that he had upon his lap.

Escaping the wrath of Bellatrix Lestrange was no mean feat, and Teddy Lupin knew it.

If she were Teddy, Carrie was sure that she would dread to think much about it. It would surely give her nightmares.

And here she was, asking him to sleep in Neville's room, surrounded by the Longbottoms' hope that would in just a few short years be crushed and lost forever. Because unlike Remus and Dora, they hadn't been lucky...

"Forget it...it's alright! It's fine." Carrie mumbled hurriedly, attempting to shrug carelessly. "I'll be fine..."

"Alice?" Frank's voice called from the hallway below, and Teddy wandered over to the top of the stairs so that he could look down at the Auror. "Tell the children not to go near the basement, won't you? I'm going to owl Lily!"

"This time of night? Wait until morning darling, I'm sure we can keep watch until then!"

At Alice's reply, Carrie reached the bannister just in time to see Frank reach to run a wary hand through his hair.

"I suppose..." he murmured, gaze upon the sealed entrance to the basement as Alice appeared behind him.

"Something wrong?" the witch asked, reaching to slide her arms around her husband's middle, and he frowned deeply, scuffing one boot uneasily upon the carpet.

"There's something...not right with her." Carrie heard him mumble, gesturing to the door in front of him with a soft kick. "She's unnaturally calm and cooperative...she...she wished me a good night just now! It's...unnerving."

"What does she want with Lily?" Alice wondered, gazing around him to stare curiously at the door, and Frank shook his head.

"Merlin knows. What did she want with Remus? Do you think he was right about Voldemort?"

"It's...possible. But then again I doubt she has anything to do with that. If he wanted to recruit Remus as a Death Eater he'd send a werewolf to talk to him, wouldn't he? Not some other random person to kidnap him or curse him or whatever she was going to do. No, Remus' condition is secret enough for now. I don't think they're coming for him...yet."

"Yet." Frank agreed grimly, turning his back on the door. "It won't be long though, I'm sure of it...he has spies everywhere these days, Remus will have to watch his back."

"Apparently he already does." Alice said, inclining her head towards the basemen door. "James was telling me he's really quite paranoid about people finding out about his condition. He panics, James says, when people find out."

"Well I thought he seemed very well grounded when we met him at the meeting earlier. A bit quiet, perhaps, but I think he'll do us good. They all will."

"Let's hope so."

"You go to bed, Alice. I'll take the first few hours."

"Right...I just fetch the children's cocoa. They're lovely, you know. I'm going to cook them a full English in the morning."

"Mm. Do I get one?"

"If you're lucky." Alice rose up upon her tiptoes to plant a kiss upon her husband's cheek. "Night darling." she murmured, and he smiled surprisingly brightly for a man whose night's sleep had just been drastically postponed as he told her:

"Sleep well, Sweetheart."

Back up on the landing above, Carrie Winters yawned.

It had been a long day to say the least.

The following day seemed long before it had even begun, for Carrie spent the majority of the night staring blankly up at the ceiling, willing herself to fall asleep. Despite her fatigue, slumber eluded her, for she was much too preoccupied by despairing thoughts about the Longbottoms' fate, no matter how much she tried to think of something else.

Come the following morning, when she was awoken by the sound of Alice knocking softly upon her door, Carrie was not entirely sure that she had been asleep for more than a few minutes at all. Nevertheless she dragged herself out of bed to answer the door, remembering to smile brightly and be grateful when Alice presented her with a freshly ironed summer dress that Carrie was pretty sure she had worn before...

"Is Lily here?" the muggle exclaimed, and almost instantly the door next door had been flung open and Teddy had stuck his head eagerly out into the landing.

"She arrived five minutes ago..." Alice had barely finished the sentence before both time travelers had bolted out of their rooms and down the stairs, still in their shrunken pajamas.

They found Lily and Frank at the bottom of the stairs, speaking together in hushed voices that stopped as soon as the duo approached.

"What did she say?" Teddy cried as he and Carrie skidded to a halt in front of them.

"Have you spoken to her?" Carrie asked eagerly, only for Frank to reach for the basement door as Lily said:

"No...not yet."

James' girlfriend looked unusually disheveled, as if she had gotten dressed in a hurry, and as she stood, hands clutched together in front of her, Carrie couldn't help but think that she was apprehensive to say the least.

"I'll be right here, if you need me." Frank told the young witch reassuringly as he reached to pull open the door. "She's bound up tight so you ought be fine."

"Can we come?" Teddy asked immediately, causing Frank to frown deeply.

"I...don't think..."

"I won't talk to her without them." Dora's voice announced from below, causing Lily to jump a little, and Frank puffed his cheeks in irritation.

"She won't do anything unless it's done her way." he muttered, shaking his head. "Anyone would think we were the captives...be careful won't you Lily? She's a tricky one, I think."

Lily offered him a rather uncertain smile over her shoulder, reaching to draw her wand from her pocket. Gripping it tightly, the young witch slowly led the way down the dim steps and into the room below.

Dora had been tied securely into an old, moth eaten armchair that looked to be on the verge of collapse. She took center stage in the room, storage boxes and a shelves lined the walls, lit only by a candle that had been set by the door. The captive's eyelids had grown dark and heavy, Carrie suspected that she had slept even more poorly than the muggle had, and yet as Lily shuffled cautiously forward, Dora offered her a broad and distinctly relieved smile.

"Close the door behind you, Teddy love." she suggested calmly, and Lily chanced a confused glance behind her as Teddy obediently shut the door.

There was a long silence before Lily finally recalled:

"You asked to talk to me."

"That's right." Dora said, still smiling, and the younger witch pursed her lips together, rocking nervously back on her heels.

"Why?"

"Because I trust you."

"Oh..." Lily breathed, not enlightened at all by this explanation.

"You're going to have to do me a favour, if you don't mind." Dora told her casually. "I need you to reach into my pocket and get a thing or two."

"What sort of things?" Lily asked suspiciously, and Dora offered her a raised eyebrow.

"Well, if you must know...my purse, my identification and a stolen time turner."

When Lily merely stared at her in bewilderment, the Deputy Head of Aurors assured her:

"It's alright, I don't bite."

"A...time turner?" Lily finally managed, sounding disbelieving, and Dora chuckled and said:

"I know, unbelievable isn't it? That's why you need to get it out of my pocket for me, seeing is believing and all that jazz."

"Oh..." Lily mumbled again. She didn't move for a good minute, Dora waited patiently for a while before adding:

"My left pocket."

At long last, Lily tiptoed forward and gingerly reached into Dora's pocket. Once the three requested items had been retrieved, she stood, staring down at them in dazed silence.

Carrie watched her reached to run an awed finger across the time turner's chain, before her eyes came to rest upon the Auror Department badge underneath and her eyes widened to the size of snitches.

"...Lupin?" she read, eyes snapping up to look at Dora in confusion. "N. Lupin?"

"That would be me." Dora confirmed softly, leaning forward in the chair as far as her restraints would allow her. "As you can see, that's a time turner you've got in your hands there. I'm not from this time, and neither are those two standing behind you."

Carrie wondered why she felt so embarrassed when Lily turned her wide-eyed stare upon the two teenagers for a long moment before she spun back to face Dora, free hand reaching to cover her mouth.

"Sweet Merlin...!" she exclaimed, eyes darting between the time turner and Dora as if she couldn't quite believe her eyes.

"Lily," Dora said, voice suddenly serious. "My name is Dora. Nymphadora Lupin. I'm Remus' wife."

"R...Remus' wife?"

"Yes."

"Remus...Remus is married?"

"He is."

"How? No, I mean...I mean when?"

"We've been married for coming on sixteen years. When we married I was twenty four and Remus was thirty seven..."

"Twenty four and thirty seven?"

"Yep."

Lily returned to staring down at the objects in her hands, her breaths deep as she struggled to take in the information.

"Your...the Deputy Head of Aurors?" she observed as she stared down at the badge.

"Yes I am."

"R...Remus...Remus is going to marry the Deputy Head of Aurors...!"

"In a manner of speaking, yes. I got promoted on our son's third birthday."

"You...you and Remus have a...a son?"

"Yes. He's standing behind you."

Lily once again turned around, and as she stared at Teddy in disbelief, the werewolf's son offered her a rather embarrassed wave.

"Joshua...?"

"Theodore Remus Lupin." Dora supplied, leaning back in her chair with a snigger. "We call him Teddy. And that's Carrie, by the way. She lives next door to us. There's photos if you like, in the purse."

As she fumbled to open the purse and pulled out the photos that were tucked carefully inside, Carrie was sure that Lily's hands were trembling.

And yet as soon as she laid eyes upon two year old Teddy being bounced up and down upon his father's lap, Lily Evans ceased to be shocked.

Because she was too busy being excited.

"This baby has blue...no green hair!"

"Family trait. Teddy and I are metamorphmagi."

"Remus...he's smiling so much he...he looks happy!"

"We have ups and downs like everybody else but essentially yes, Remus is happy."

"When...when was this one taken?"

Dora strained to squint over at the next photograph, wincing at the stiff movement.

"That's Remus and I on our wedding day."

Lily gazed down at the newlyweds, and after a moment, tears began to silently trickle down her cheeks. She looked up at Dora, opening and closing her mouth a couple of times as if she could not quite find the words, before she whispered:

"Y...you've...you've married a...a werewolf. You've married a werewolf and you...you don't care?"

"Actually," Dora told her with a distinctly proud smile. "I've married a decent man. It's just that on occasion it turns out there are three of us in the relationship, not two."

Lily let out an odd squeak of laughter, reaching the press the photographs to her chest as she drew a deep breath and cried:

"I knew it! I've always known it! I knew somebody wouldn't care, I knew somebody would see what James and I see in him! I KNEW it!"

And with that, she threw her arms around the captive, burying her face in her shoulder.

"Thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you..."

"Listen, Lily," Dora said, the smile finally fading from her face. "I'm going to have to tell you a thing or two about Remus' life in the future. You can't say a word of this to anybody, not for as long as you live."

Lily drew back from her shoulder, eyes alight with excitement, but at the serious expression upon Dora's face she sobered somewhat and said:

"Of course, I won't breathe a word."

"Good." Dora said, dark eyes so piercing that Lily took the smallest of steps backwards. "Here's the thing, Lily...my husband...he never had a girlfriend when he was eighteen years old."

"He...didn't?"

"No, he didn't. If it wasn't for Carrie's big mouth he'd stay pretty much single until his thirties."

Carrie felt her cheeks flush scarlet at this explanation, and she took a small step backwards so that she could lean back against the door. There was a long silence as Lily glanced back at Carrie again, before she concluded:

"Carrie's altered the past?"

"Exactly." Dora said, distinctly disapproving, and Carrie's gaze fell to her shoes. "I arrived to take Ted and Carrie home, only to discover they've landed us all in quite a mess. I planned on obliviating Remus and Anya, only I got caught. Which is how I wound up tied up down here. So, Lily, I have two very important things for you to do. First of all, you need to help me get out of here, and then you have to convince Remus to leave Anya."

Lily reached to put a hand to her mouth, expression suddenly pained.

"Me? You want me to...to tell him...?"

"Yes. He'd listen to you."

"Oh Merlin...it'll hurt him..."

"I'm sure it will. If it makes you feel any better, it's not your fault."

Carrie rather wished that the ground would open up and swallow her.

"What should I tell him?" Lily wondered aloud, frowning deeply, and Dora told her:

"Whatever you tell him you'll have to be careful. He was a hard enough nut to crack without you making things even more difficult for me. I suggest you go for...money."

"Money?"

"Yes. By the time he marries me he'll be in enough debt to kill a niffler, we're still paying them off even now. In all the time I've known him, he's been in employment for about...six months in total, and in a few years the Wolfsbane potion you've probably read about will be available to the public. He'll need it if he's to sleep soundly at night and it costs an arm and two legs. We've a precarious enough hold on family finances on my salary as it is...you show me an apothecary's assistant who can afford to live comfortably with all of that and I'll eat my Auror's badge."

"Merlin..." Lily murmured despairingly, reaching to push a strand of red hair behind one ear. "That'll do it I expect..."

"Excellent." Dora said, voice painfully business-like. "Well Lily, it was lovely to meet you, if you could just get hold of a wand for me and then go and cause some sort of chaos upstairs at some point, I'll be going...I'll leave the children here for now, don't want people to think I've kidnapped them or anything, do we?"

Lily stared at her, eyes somewhat glazed.

"You certainly are an Auror." she concluded with a rather uncertain smile. "You sound like Alice, you're all the same...always professional..."

"Professional? Merlin, it's been a while since anybody called me that! I wish Remus could hear you, he says I'm about as professional as children's finger paint."

Lily stifled laughter into the sleeve of her cardigan, still staring at Dora intently.

"Will you promise me something?" she said when she finally dropped her hand to her side.

"I might do."

"Promise me you'll never leave him."

Dora offered the younger witch a raised eyebrow.

"Remus couldn't get rid of me if he tried...and believe me, he did try! I love him and I'd not leave him for the world. I would be entirely lost if he wasn't with me, Merlin knows what I'd have done if he'd not wanted to marry me...doesn't bear thinking about!"

And with that, Lily let out great sigh of relief, before reaching to throw her arms around Dora again, only for a voice from upstairs to call:

"Lily! Everything alright down there?"

"Go on," Dora hissed. "Don't want them to catch you hugging the Death Eater, do we? That's what they think, isn't it? That I'm a Death Eater?"

Lily hastily straightened up, reaching to straighten her cardigan.

"They're...not really sure about who you are." she admitted, only to pause at the sound of Frank calling again, this time sounding distinctly worried. "IT'S ALRIGHT!" she shouted over her shoulder, before turning to offer Dora an apologetic look.

"Tell them I'm the niece of Bellatrix Lestrange." Dora suggested helpfully, and Lily's eyes widened in alarm at the notion.

"Where on earth did you dream that up?" the red head wondered with an uneasy chuckle, only to fall instantly silent when Dora admitted:

"I didn't, it's true."

"Remus is married to Bellatrix's niece?"

"He certainly is. I'm her favourite niece, you know, she'd always come and visit Remus and I if she got the chance."

"She wants to kill you?"

"Sadly for her we don't always get what we want."

Lily gave another rather uncertain chuckle and Dora winced at her own words.

"Go on, get going." the Auror mumbled with a deep frown. "Before I tell you something I'll truly regret."

"I'll be back with a wand as soon as I can. Perhaps I should wait until Frank or Alice leave the house, that'll give you far better a chance of escaping."

"Take your time, I'm in no hurry."

"Right...come on then Jo...Teddy, Carrie..."

Carrie and Teddy obediently marched back up the stairs, casting one last glance back at Dora before they stepped into the hallway.

Both Frank and Alice were waiting for them and as soon as Lily had stepped through the door, Frank reached to close it firmly behind her and Alice asked:

"What did she have to say?"

For the briefest of moments, Lily looked entirely clueless as to what to say, before she drew a deep, calming breath and announced:

"You've captured Bellatrix Lestrange's niece."

"Her niece?" Frank said, pausing midway through raising his wand to reset the protective charms upon the door.

"I didn't know she had one." Alice admitted, distinctly wary, and Frank muttered:

"I knew she was a oddball...that smile...I just knew it!"

"Since when did the Lestranges' have a trademark smile?" Alice asked with an arched eyebrow, and her husband shrugged as he turned back to the door.

"They're a bunch of psychopaths, that trademark enough for you? Merlin...Bellatrix's niece! You'd think we'd have heard of her."

"She might not be a Lestrange, she might be a Black."

"Yes darling you're right, she might not be a psychopath. She might just be a crazed pure blood fanatic instead. That would be a relief, wouldn't it?"

Alice sniggered. It sent a shiver down Carrie's spine.

"Cup of tea, Lily?" she asked as Frank set about mumbling a series of spells.

"Please." Lily consented, and with that the two witches headed for the kitchen, only for Alice to call back to the children:

"I've left your clothes out on your beds for you both."

And from then on, there was little for Carrie and Teddy to do besides wait.

It was a long one.

They spent the majority of the day sat in the Longbottoms' sitting room, playing at chess and having hushed conversations about what exactly Dora was going to do with them when she finally got them home, or just how uncomfortable the captive must feel to be tied up for such a prolonged period of time. Throughout the day Frank and Alice took turns sitting out in the hallway, reaching books or listening to the wireless. When neither of them left the house after two hours, Lily was forced to leave without attempting to set Dora free. There were, the red head had told the two time travelers in an undertone, only so many cups of tea that a girl could drink. She would return the following morning when she knew Alice would be at the Ministry.

It was precisely eight o'clock the following morning when Alice, Carrie and Teddy's breakfast around the kitchen table was interrupted by a hefty knock upon the door, and Alice had got hurriedly to her feet and gone to the door, drawing her wand as she went.

"Who is it?" she called, and at the reply, Carrie and Teddy abandoned their breakfast and went to peer into the hallway.

"It's Remus...is Lily with you?"

Alice reached to open the door, hands flying to her hips as it swung wide open.

"Remus! What in Merlin's name do you think you're doing here? Look at the state of you!"

"Is Lily with you?" the young werewolf asked breathlessly as he stumbled his way past the witch, apparently entirely unconcerned by his current state.

Carrie couldn't help feel that he ought perhaps be at least a little concerned. His face and arms, after all, were covered in gashes scratches and there was an impressive looking purple bruise blooming upon his jaw. He walked stiffly, somewhat hunched as if he didn't quite have the energy to stand straight.

"No, I've not seen her since..."

"Because Sirius said that James said that...that Lily said..."

"Come and sit down for Merlin's sake! Let me...give me that jumper, I could fry an egg on your forehead you're that hot!"

"James said that Lily said that the woman you caught...she says she's Bellatrix's niece!"

As she ushered the shuffling young man down the hallway, Alice's expression was distinctly disapproving.

"What in Merlin's name have they been telling you that for? They shouldn't be telling you anything, you should be resting, look at you! What on earth are your parents going to say when they realise you've left..."

"She's too old to be Bellatrix's niece! Bellatrix only has one niece we've heard of! Sirius says his cousin Andromeda's the only one who has a daughter...she's about four...five years old, something like that!"

"What does Sirius know? He's not spoken to his family in years! Now sit down, I'll...I'll get you a glass of water or something."

"He speaks to Andromeda sometimes..."

"And I suppose she knows all about the family, does she? Don't be ridicu...Sweet Merlin!"

"What's wrong?"

"You're bleeding all over my hallway!"

"Oh...sorry..."

"Just...tell me where it hurts! You haven't splinched yourself, have you?"

"Maybe...a little..."

"Where?"

"I had a scratch on my leg...it's probably opened up again..."

"Merlin just...sit down!"

As he was deposited into a chair opposite them, the battered looking teenager offered the time travelers a smile.

"Morning." he greeted, only to let out a sharp hiss of pain when Alice reached to yank the the hem of his trouser leg up towards his knee. "It's fine Alice, honestly..."

Alice looked up from her inspection of his leg to fix him with a piercing look and when he stared defiantly back at her she stuck up three fingers in front of him and demanded to know:

"How many? Go on, tell me how many fingers !"

Remus sighed heavily, only to lean forwards a little in his chair, squinting before deciding:

"Three...? So, Lily isn't here then?"

The Auror tutted disapprovingly, summoning a box from atop the fridge with a vague wave of her wand. As she caught the box in her hand she informed the werewolf:

"No, she's not been round since yesterday." After a brief examination of the contents of the box she frowned deeply and said: "Frank's been moving things again, honestly! Joshua dear, would you pop into the bathroom for me? There should be some bandages in the cupboard with the towels. You can get him a glass of water, Cleo, and I'll be back in just a moment." To Remus she instructed: "You don't move a muscle!"

As both Teddy and Alice disappeared out into the hallway, Carrie rose obediently to her feet, offering Remus a fleeting smile before shuffling over to the sink.

She wasn't really sure what to say to him, she rarely did this close to full moon. The aftermath of his transformations seemed to have less of a draining effect upon him at this age, she mused, and yet they were worse. Bloodier, for one thing. Indeed she didn't like to look at him for more than a second, that way she couldn't end up counting the cuts and bruises.

He looked as though he had been thrown to the lions. Except it had been the wolf instead.

Carrie shuddered. Determined to make conversation, however, she racked her brains for something to say as she reached for a glass from the draining board before turning on the tap.

"So..." she said, attempting to sound bright and cheery. "Are we going to stay here with Frank and Alice, or are you going to take us back with you?"

When the werewolf failed to reply, the muggle glanced questioningly over her shoulder at him, only to find that he didn't appear to be listening. Apparently he had managed to dose off, head lolled forward until his chin touched his chest.

Carrie simply stared. She wasn't entirely sure whether or not she should want to laugh or not. She reached to turn the tap off before taking a few hesitant steps back towards him.

"Remus...?" she called, voice raised ever so slightly, and as quick as he had drifted off the wizard awoke again with a jump.

"Mm...what?" he murmured thickly, rapidly blinking his eyes as he sat bolt upright in his chair, and Carrie offered him a rather embarrassed smile.

"Glass of water?" she reminded him, taking another step forward before holding it out for him to take. He stared blankly at the glass for a moment before clearing his throat self consciously and mumbling:

"Yes...thank you."

"What in Merlin's name are you doing here?" Frank's voice inquired from the hallway as he appeared at the bottom of the stairs, and as he took a sip of water Remus turned to watch the Auror stride across the hallway and into the kitchen. "You're making Alice late for work, Alastor will be furious."

"Sorry...I didn't really think..."

"It's alright. We like to keep the paranoid old sod on his toes...makes him seem a bit less crazy if we do it instead of letting him do it to himself."

"Well Alice can tell him it's all my fault. I'm in his bad books already."

"I doubt it, you've only met him once."

"He doesn't think much of me. One good hex, he told Dumbledore, and it would finish me off."

"I wouldn't take it personally, Remus, he says that about all the new ones. On my first day of Auror training he suggested I take the afternoon off so that I could write my will! And here I am, years later, barely a bruise let alone dead! Besides, he's probably just jealous that there's somebody half his age with bigger and more impressive scars than he has."

"It's probably true." Alice announced as she returned from the sitting room, just as Carrie heard Teddy's footsteps on the stairs. "It's all about scars, we girls have a thing about them you know. I only agreed to date Frank at school when I found out about the scar on his shoulder...of course at the time I had no idea he'd gotten it from falling out of a tree the previous summer, whilst trying to hide from his mother because she wanted him to do the washing up...not worth swooning over really..."

"I doubt Alastor's all that fussed about the fairer sex." Frank mused, sounding vaguely disturbed by the notion, and as she turned to retrieve the bandages from Teddy, Alice giggled.

"Good thing too." she said as she turned to Remus and dropped down into a crouch to examine his leg again. "I'd pity any woman he fell for! Merlin...can you imagine?"

"I can't say I can to be honest, darling." Frank murmured with a shake of the head, only for Alice to suck in a deep breath as she observed:

"Well you wait until Alastor sees this, Remus, he'll be green with envy."

"Mm..." Remus mumbled wearily, wincing as she set about dabbing the wound with a damp square of cloth that she had seemingly retrieved from the living room. "I'll not knock him off his pedestal just yet, I've still got both eyes...for now."

"Ambition!" Frank exclaimed cheerily, reaching to pat the younger wizard comfortingly upon the shoulder. "That's what we like to hear!" His wife seemingly thought this a step too far, for she frowned deeply, only for a knock to sound at the door.

"Get that won't you darling?" Alice suggested as she set about winding the bandage tightly around Remus' leg, and Frank hurried back into the hallway to answer the door.

And when Lily stepped over the threshold a moment later, Carrie knew that Dora's wait was almost over.


	17. The Great Escape

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter._

**27: The Great Escape**

Dora Lupin was beginning to wonder if she would ever again see the light of day.

The Auror had long since given up on wondering how long she had been sat, bound up as she was, and had spent Merlin knew how many hours cursing Frank Longbottom's gift with binding charms. The magical ropes that had her secured in place allowed for little movement besides shallow breathing and her hopeless fidgeting had left the skin beneath the bindings red and sore.

She felt drained. Dehydrated. Apparently the Longbottoms were not fussed about dinners for Death Eaters, either.

Dora slumped forward against her restraints, eyes drifting closed as she willed herself to fall asleep. She desperately needed the rest, because at that moment in time she could not imagine even crawling up the staircase to the ground floor, let alone running up it.

The sores upon her limbs and chest burned in protest at her weight against the ropes, and with a heavy sigh she consented to sitting up straight again, head lolling forward until her chin came to rest against her collarbone.

_Come on, Lily..._

_Come on, come on..._

Next time Remus insisted upon sending a Christmas card for Neville's parents to their ward at St. Mungo's he could bloody well sign it on his own...

Was that a bit petty?

Dora supposed it was, but wasn't entirely sure that she cared.

_Patience, Dora..._

She'd always thought she was good at the whole patience thing. After all she had spent years being paid a pittance and being bossed around by Mad-Eye Moody in order to finally become an Auror, not to mention the year or more she had waited for Remus to finally come around to the idea of the two of them being together. But if she were entirely frank, this was something else entirely!

Bloody twigs. When was the last time she had managed to step on one that wasn't going to snap?

And sweet Merlin...her head...!

Dora raised her head and leant back against the chair, and at the movement the world seemed to revolve around her. She vaguely wondered how long it had been since she had had a drink, and whether or not passing out would really have much of an effect upon her current situation.

It probably wouldn't help, if truth be told.

She was in no fit state to out run a couple of Aurors like Frank and Alice Longbottom, that much was clear, which she felt was deeply regrettable because in scenarios such as this there were only two possible options available to her: Fight or flight.

And if running away was an unlikely option, Dora was going to have to pick a fight with her captors instead.

If she were entirely honest with herself, the impending conflict was making her more than a little nervous. Mad-Eye had probably meant well all those years ago when he had constantly banged on about what superb duelers the Longbottoms had both been, he'd probably been attempting to inspire her. But Dora was far from inspired. Indeed, she was steadily being filled with more and more dread as the hours dragged on.

The trick is not to think about it too much, she told herself for the umpteenth time. Think of them as any other people stood before you and your goals, don't think about what Mad-Eye used to say about Alice's stunning spells or how long that one man was in a coma for after Frank had hexed him that time...

_Oh bloody hell. _

Dora sucked in a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself, before beginning to mentally tick off in her head any particularly impressive feats that she had achieved in the years since she had qualified as an Auror.

She'd got Bellatrix once. Smack in the face...almost.

_Bet Frank never managed that..._

But Frank had managed a hell of a lot in his relatively short career, just as Alice had. Thinking about it made Dora feel rather as though she hadn't deserved the promotion she'd received to Deputy of the Auror Department.

_Stop. Stop it. Right now. _

She gave herself a little shake.

_I'm going to get out of here, I'm going to take them by surprise, I'll stun the pair of them if I have to..._

_Because I can. I really can. _

_I can beat the Longbottoms._

_Determination!_ She could practically hear Mad-Eye's barking voice in her head. _You've got bundles of it, lass, and it'll take you far! You'll go far, you will, you'll be another one of the greats, I'm telling you now! I know it, I can see it. You want it, don't you Nymphadora? Well if you want it, lass, reach out and take it! _

And so it was that when the door to the basement creaked open a moment later and Lily Evans descended the staircase, Dora looked up at the red-haired witch, dark eyes brimming with determination.

Lily drew the wand from her pocket and set about undoing the cutting ropes, and as soon as she was free Dora rose to her feet, legs aching in protest.

Lily offered her the wand in silence. The Auror reached out and took it.

"Alice left for the Ministry a few minutes ago." Lily informed her in an undertone as Dora attempted to stretch the soreness from her limbs. "So it's just Frank up there with Remus and the children."

"Remus...?"

"Is in the kitchen. It was full moon last night, so...well..."

"Right. And the children are...?"

"Also in the kitchen."

"And Frank?"

"He's in the hallway...he was stood halfway down talking with Remus when I left him."

"Right..." Dora eyed the ceiling thoughtfully for a moment before wondering: "Can I ask another couple of favours?"

"Of course."

"I'm going to need to borrow your jacket and your hair band."

"Oh..." Lily frowned deeply, but nevertheless reached to pull the band from her hair, only to stop dead at the sight of Dora's hair suddenly lengthening and brightening to a very familiar shade of red.

"Goodness...!" Lily exclaimed, eyes widening in surprise, and the metamorphmagus offered her a small smile.

"Not my best disguise, to be honest." Dora admitted as she accepted the hairband and set about sliding it atop her head. "But it's probably best to keep it simple...I don't hold morphs well when I'm under the weather."

"You're ill?"

"Only as ill as anybody else who hasn't eaten or drunk anything for near on two days. I'll be fine, and this'll confuse Frank for just a second long enough, I'm sure." As she accepted Lily's jacket and shrugged herself into it, the Auror offered the younger witch an apologetic smile as she told her: "I'm sorry about all of this Lily, it's a terrible mess I know. But you're being absolutely brilliant, I couldn't possibly do any of this without you."

Lily gave a modest shrug.

"Well," she said, smiling back. "I'm glad to help. We can't possibly risk a time paradox, after all! Besides, any relation of Remus' is worth my help twice over. You just say jump and I'll ask you how high."

Dora straightened the jacket, offering the other witch a raised eyebrow.

"I was going to ask you to lie down, rather than jump." she admitted, giving the borrowed wand a explanatory wave. "Wouldn't want you to crack your head when I stun you."

"Oh...right..." Lily pursed her lips together apprehensively, but obediently dropped into a crouch before lowering herself down upon the floor. She watched Dora take a step towards her. The Auror raised the wand...

"Dora?" the younger witch asked hurriedly, causing Dora to hesitate.

"Lily?"

Lily gazed up at her hopefully as she asked:

"Is...is he here too? Remus, I mean. Your Remus?"

Dora shook her head.

"No, I'm afraid not." she said, watching disappointment materialize upon Lily's face. "He's just as clueless about all of this as his eighteen year old counterpart."

"Oh." Lily let out a sigh. "You didn't...didn't think of telling him or...or bringing him with you, then?"

"I thought about it." Dora admitted, frowning at the recollection. "But...I rather think Remus is best leaving the past in the past, if you know what I mean."  
"Why?"

Dora sucked in a deep, cautious breath as she attempted to decide what to say.

He'd probably not want to see you, it'd be painful for him, you know, what with you and everybody else being dead in the future...

"It doesn't really matter." she decided with a shrug. "Even if I'd wanted to bring him along for the ride...I had no idea where he was, I still don't know come to that!"

"You don't know where he is?"

"No. We've had a...a small difference in opinion, to put it mildly, and he...walked out."

"Oh..." Lily's expression became instantly troubled. "Does he row with you often, then?"

"Not if he knows what's good for him, no."

At this, they both sniggered.

"We don't row very often." Dora said assuringly. "But when we do row...well, we like to do it properly."

"Ah."

"I don't recommend it, to be honest. Rowing with Remus is rather like kicking a puppy. I can't do it for very long, we always make up within a day."

Lily sniggered again as she wondered:

"I wonder if he learned the kicked puppy act from James, or if it was the other way around."

"What came first, the chicken or the egg?"

At this question, Lily sighed heavily, shaking her head as she gazed up towards the ceiling.

"It's a shame he isn't here." she said sadly. "I'd have liked to have met him, seen what he was like..."

"He's a bit taller." Dora supplied with a grin, winking as she added: "And his hair's a whole lot more silver. Besides that and a bit more skill and wisdom, he's probably not a whole lot different."

Lily frowned deeply at this final piece of information.

"I hope he isn't quite the same." she admitted, tone distinctly fretful. "We worry about him, you know. He's so terribly grim at times...some days I'm afraid he's lost all hope, like the spirit's all but gone from him. It worries me to think he might just...just stumble along through life...not achieving anything or feeling as down trodden as he does right now..." she trailed off with another heavy sigh as she recalled: "And you say he'll barely get employed..."

Dora offered the younger witch a distinctly stern look.

"Let me tell you something about employment, Lily." she said, causing Lily to bite her lip somewhat regretfully at her words. "The vast majority of us don't get the chance to achieve anything much by our employment besides stacking up some gold coins in our vaults, and there's not a whole lot that's grand about something as simple as that. Remus will have ample opportunity to achieve great things in life. He's already started, just like you have, you've all joined the Order of the Phoenix. Hats off to the lot of you, it's a brave and worthy endeavor and you should all be very proud of yourselves. Now then, I really ought be going before Frank starts to wonder where you've gotten to."

"Oh...of course." Lily agreed, suddenly apprehensive, not at all assured by Dora's rather cheerful:

"Nice to meet you, then."

"A...and you." the younger witch manage with a vague hint of a smile...

And with that, the Auror gave the wand a sharp flick, and quite suddenly Lily Evans found the world around her fading into blackness.

Without a second glance at the unconscious figure lying upon the floorboards, Dora turned on her heel and made for the staircase, determined to creep properly for once in her life...

She reached the top of the stairs without incident, and paused to press her ear to the closed door before her, straining to hear muffled voices from the hallway. Straightening up, she took a few deep, steadying breaths, her grip upon the wand tightening resolutely.

_Focus, Dora..._

And with that she reached for the door handle, turning it slowly, cautiously, until it clicked softly open and she could inch the door open a crack, listening intently once again.

"...I'm just saying," she heard Frank's voice announce from further down the hallway. "It wouldn't hurt to ask, would it? Alastor would throw his weight behind you, I'm sure, and that counts for a lot at the Ministry, you know."

"Alastor wouldn't recruit me for all the gold in Gringotts."

"He's pleased to have you in the Order."

"That's different...the Order's...voluntary."

"Well what harm would it do to try? What's the worst that can happen?"

"They'll laugh at me, just like everybody else will."

"You don't know until you try."

"I really do, Frank."

There was a despairing pause before Dora heard Frank reason:

"That's no healthy attitude towards life, Remus. You'll never get anywhere if you keep thinking like that."

"So everybody keeps telling me." Remus' voice murmured darkly from the direction of the kitchen. "But what do you all know, anyway? Not a whole lot, I bet. How could you? You're not me."

Dora edged the door open a fraction more so that she could lean to peer out into the hallway. Frank was leaning back against the wall halfway towards the kitchen, wand held loosely in his hand as he tapped it thoughtfully against his leg, frowning up at the ceiling.

"Alright then," he consented with a sigh. "Maybe...maybe the Ministry's aiming a bit too high...but...but what about...shops?"

"I'm sure the customers would be utterly delighted...!"

"Bookshops. You've probably read half their stock, you'd be brilliant..."

"Except for the part where I scare all the customers away and then take an unreasonable amount of sick leave. Besides, I'd not get that far, you have to declare dark creature status on all application forms. Basically I'm doomed."

Frank straightened up and turned his back on Dora's hiding place so that he could fix Remus with a firm stare.

"You're not doomed, Remus." the Auror insisted resolutely. "You've barely left school, give it some time for Merlin's sake! I mean...take Sirius for example! He's not got a job yet, has he?"

"Sirius is a lazy bastard." Remus pointed out dully, and Dora saw Frank's shoulders slump in exasperation.

"Alright...LILY doesn't have a job yet! Or James, or Peter! Don't give up before you've tried for Merlin's sake! If you don't try...well...what else are you going to do? Wander out there and...and BEG on street corners?"

"No!" Remus cried incredulously, only to add: "Not yet, anyway..."

"Merlin..." Frank muttered despairingly, reaching to rake a hand through his hair. "As if your family and friends would let it come to that...!"

"They're not paying for me forever, I won't let them!"

"You'd rather passing strangers did, would you?"

There was a long silence before Remus hurriedly recalled:

"Lily reckons I could maybe...maybe get a muggle job. A part time one or...something..."

"That's a very good idea!"

"Mm...only I don't have any muggle qualifications, so..."

"Well go and get some, then! Enroll in a muggle college or something, go and get some...what're they called? You know, the exams muggle children take...?"

"Merlin knows...Dad wasn't keen, though."

"No?"

"No...he says he's already paid to put me through one school, he can't afford to put me through another."

"Well you'll have to pay for it yourself."

"With what? There's five sickles in my pocket, that's all I've got for the next week..."

Dora supposed that now would be a good moment to act, but she was much too intrigued by Frank announcing:

"Well, we'll see about that!"

He turned abruptly back towards the basement door and Dora hurriedly pulled the door back a few inches, holding her breath in anticipation as she squinted through the crack in the door. She watched Frank stride over to a small chest that was set by the living room door and as he unlocked it with a sharp tap of his wand and reached to pull it open, the Auror called back towards the kitchen:

"How're you with figures?"

There was a long pause before Remus' hesitant voice asked:

"Me...?"

"No, I was asking Joshua...of course you, Remus!"

"Oh...well...not bad I suppose..."

"Excellent." Frank reached to pull out a large wooden box atop which was balanced a large book bound in dark brown leather. As he strode off up the hallway, Dora dared to push the door open a little again and she shuffled forward until she could look around the corner and down towards the kitchen.

Frank dumped the box and book down upon the kitchen table in front of the blank-faced werewolf, gesturing to the objects as he announced:

"I'll pay you ten galleons a week if you come round here every Sunday, take all the shopping receipts out of that box, write them all down in that accounts book and tell me how much of our earnings Alice has wasted on shoes and how much she's got left to waste in Madam Malkin's at the end of the month. It's a boring job, Alice says it's my turn this week and quite frankly I can't be bothered. Do we have a deal?"

Remus simply stared at him. When he failed to reply straight away Frank admitted:

"Chances are you'll be round here for Merlin knows how many months before you'll have enough gold to even consider muggle college. But you're not in a hurry, are you? It's not as though your parents are going to throw you out of the house any time soon!"

Again, Remus merely stared.

"I'll take that as a yes, then." the Auror decided.

And at that precise moment, Dora chose to pounce.

She made straight for the front door, wand clutched discreetly in the folds of Lily's jacket, and as she went she heard Frank turn to look at her, momentarily puzzled as he wondered:

"Lily...?"

The Auror realised his mistake half a second later, which turned out to be half a second too late for Dora had spun around to face him, arm whipping upwards to take precise aim, before she declared:

"STUPEFY!"

As the spell struck Frank directly in the chest, the escapee had already turned her back on him and had reached to fling open the front door. Ignoring the panicked shout that sounded from the kitchen as her victim was thrown backwards off his feet, through the kitchen doorway to land upon the tiels with a thud, Dora bolted outside and made for the cover of the trees to the left of the house.

She was just vaulting over the Longbottoms' garden wall when a bolt of crackling blue light streaked past her, narrowly missing her shoulder by inches. As she watched the spell strike a nearby tree trunk, causing splinters of bark to explode in all directions, the metamorphmagus dared a brief glance over her shoulder as she landed down upon the pavement.

"Sod it..." she muttered when she caught sight of Remus stumbling up the hallway towards the front door, raising his wand again for a second attempt to hit her.

_Stun him, for Merlin's sake..._

Dora ignored her own command, choosing to sprint towards the trees instead. She couldn't quite bring herself to curse the young werewolf, in such a sickly way as he was, and besides, it wasn't as though he was going to catch her up and...

An invisible force seemed to grasp hold of her by the ankles, and with little time to let out a shout of frustration, Dora found her body giving in to the forces of gravity for the second time in just a few short days.

She managed to keep a hold of the wand that she was clutching, and even managed to throw her hands up to shield her face from the fall (this being an art form in which she was exceptionally well practiced). Upon landing she ignored the throbbing protests of her body and immediately rolled onto her side, one arm reaching to push herself up into a sitting position, raising her wand with the other...

Her ankles were burning.

_Burning? _

The searing pain proved too much for her concentration and she dropped her defensive gaze towards the house in order to reach and yank up the hems of her jeans...

The skin around her ankles were blistered pink, the muscles felt scorched. Was it her imagination, or did her skin appear to be...flaking...peeling...?

_Sweet Merlin!_

BANG!

As another spell struck the ground just beside her, the Deputy Head of Aurors' sense of self preservation instantly kicked in and before she could give it a seconds thought, she had raised her wand, taken precise aim at the stumbling figure behind the garden wall, and bellowed the first spell that came into her head. She did not wait to see whether or not the stinging hex reached its target, for she was too busy scrambling back onto her feet, wincing at her scorched ankles as she made a run for the trees...

But she heard it all the same.

The shout of pain made her falter, stumble to a halt and despite herself she spun around to look back towards the house.

Remus was lying sprawled upon the garden path, his hands clamped over his face, fingers clawing desperately at his eyes, and as the young wizard let out a panicked shriek for help, his future wife felt as though the sound was pummeling her in the chest.

A stinging hex. It had been the first spell that she had demonstrated in her initial interview to join the Aurors, a signature spell of sorts, the one that always came to mind. Mad-Eye had claimed it a talent.

So adept at this particular spell was she over a decade later that she'd permanently blinded the last dark wizard that she had cast it upon...

Remus was shouting Frank's name at the top of his lungs, but Dora could only assume that the Auror was still out cold in the hallway, for it was Teddy who appeared in the doorway, Carrie just behind him. Dora watched in panic as the two teenagers looked from Remus to Frank lying inside, seemingly at a loss as to what they ought do...

_You bloody idiot_, Dora thought despairingly as Teddy hurried outside and dropped to his knees at Remus' side, one hand upon the werewolf's shoulder in an attempt to stop his panicked squirming. She hadn't meant to hit him, let alone hit him so _hard_...

"It's alright!" she heard Teddy practically shout as Remus attempted to wrench his arm free from the time traveler's grasp. "It's me, it's Joshua..."

"Get...get Frank! For the love of Merlin, Joshua, get Frank...or...or...somebody! I...I...I can't bloody see and...and...OH MERLIN!"

Despite herself, Dora took a few steps back towards the scene, heart hammering in her chest as she watched Remus scramble blindly to sit upright, one hand still clamped to his eyes.

"LILY!" the werewolf shouted as he stumbled to his feet, disorientated as he reached out a searching hand until he could grasp the sleeve of Teddy's jumper. "Josh...she got Lily! She...she got Lily, go and...go downstairs and see...she...Lily might be hurt..."

"Let me help you inside." Teddy suggested as he put a steadying hand upon the werewolf's shoulder.

"No, no just go and check that Lily's alright!"

"But...you can't see..."

"Just go! And...and get Cleo to get some water. Tell her to...throw it over Frank's face or something..."

"But..."

"Go on!"

Dora watched as Teddy reluctantly went back inside. Left alone, Remus stood stock still for a long moment, before slowly daring to remove the hand from his eyes. As she crept closer, Dora watched him wave an experimental, nervous hand before his face...

"Shit!"

At this rather high-pitched exclamation, Dora could only assume that the experiment had gone badly. The werewolf dropped abruptly to his knees and began to grope around searchingly upon the ground, muttering somewhat frantically to himself. As she drew closer, coming to a halt just before the wall, the Auror saw the blistering cuts and boils around his eyelids, and she reached to stifle a guilty gasp with a hand.

"Accio wand...accio wand...accio...come on! Where are you...!"

"Remus?" Carrie's voice called despairingly from the hallway. "It's not working! The...the water, I mean..."

As he continued his increasingly hopeless search for his wand, Remus' shoulders slumped as he shouted:

"Well...FLOO SOMEBODY!"

"Who?"

"I don't know...anybody!"

"Like who?"

"Floo James and Sirius! Floo the Ministry! Alice! Alastor! Floo bloody PETER if you want just...just floo SOMEBODY!"

"R...right..." Carrie's voice agreed hesitently. There was a long pause before the muggle asked: "Can I do that? As a...a muggle, I mean..."

"FOR THE LOVE OF MERLIN!" Remus exclaimed in frustration, slumping down upon the ground and reaching to clamp his hands over his eyes again. "Just...GO AND ASK JOSHUA!"

Dora caught a glimpse of Carrie making a dash for the staircase, and as the muggle disappeared from view the witch stood watching the crumpled figure upon the ground before her, his breathing growing steadily more agitated as the seconds ticked on.

And it was then that Dora Lupin knew that she was going to do something foolish. Something risky.

Something that she had to do. Because if she didn't she was not entirely sure that she could live with herself.

The witch climbed carefully back over the wall, dropping the Lily-esque morph as she went, and as her soft footsteps alerted the blinded werewolf to her approach, he froze in panic.

"It's alright, Remus." she found herself saying calmly as she came to a halt just in front of him. "You're safe."

She spotted his wand upon the ground by her foot and stooped to retrieve it, pausing to stare guiltily at his swollen, blistered eyelids for a moment before reaching forward to press the wand into his hand. As his fingers closed hesitantly around the object, she told him:

"You'll see again in an hour or so...I promise."

Remus drew breath to speak, but before he could ask any confused questions she had turned on her heel and run for the trees again. She just about caught the sound of Lily's voice calling to Remus from inside of the house before the metamorphmagus disapparated with a soft pop.


	18. Planting the Seed

_Note: Thanks to me being a bad student and shunning work in favour of writing today, here is a new chapter for you all! I estimate that there will be just 2, perhaps 3 chapters left of this story! But don't worry, there are already two chapters of the follow-up ready to be posted!_

_There is a poll up about this series, if anybody has a second it would be nice of you to vote, just to stifle my curiosity! _

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter_

**18: Planting the Seed**

"Do you have any idea how ugly you look right now?"

"Shut up, Padfoot."

"I'm only saying..."

"Well don't."

"...it's probably a good thing Anya didn't knock for you this morning, because she'd probably have run for the hills..."

"I said shut up! It's bad enough having some psychotic bitch hex my eyes to buggery without you telling me what you have to say about it too!"

"Well she can't have been that much of a bitch if she came and gave you back your wand."

Carrie Winters glanced up from her careful application of strawberry jam upon toast just in time to see Remus Lupin shoot the dark haired wizard sat opposite him an utterly withering look, made all the more disgruntled by the swollen, blistered skin surrounding his distinctly red looking eyes.

"I think you're wrong." the werewolf informed Sirius in a irritable mutter. "Bellatrix must have another niece. They're both so utterly mental that they must be related."

James Potter leant across the table to snatch the last remaining slice of toast from Remus' plate, earning himself a scowl.

"Nah, Andromeda is the only one who has a child, isn't she, Padfoot?" he said as he took a generous bite of the stolen breakfast, and Sirius nodded in agreement.

"Andromeda's kid's about four or five...I know because I remember her being born."

"You've never met Andromeda's kid! You've not even seen Andromeda since before she got blasted off the family tree!"

"Well no, but I remember waking up one morning to the sound of my mum shrieking at the top of her lungs about disgraceful blood traitors and all sorts. Regulus and I bolted out of our rooms and down to see what the fuss was about, and she was standing in the sitting room, staring at the tapestry. It's enchanted, you know, adds names onto the family tree automatically. Under the spot where Andromeda used to be was a new branch with the kid's name."

"What's she called?"

"Dunno...she got blasted off the wall before I could read it properly. That's when I had that row with the old hag, you know, because she said if I didn't watch myself I'd be next and I told her she could do it now if she fancied, and she went mental and I left for a few days to stay at Prongs' house. I'm telling you now, though, that kid's the luckiest Black there ever was. I wish I could have been estranged from birth."

"Begs the question, though," James mused, voice muffled from the toast that he had just shoved into his mouth. "Who was this nutcase, if she wasn't really Bellatrix's niece? And if she's a Death Eater...why in Merlin's name would she give Remus back his wand?"

"Well it's obvious." Remus announced as he rose to his feet and went to pour himself a fresh cup of tea from the teapot beside the stove.

Sirius and James stared at him in surprise, whilst at the latter's side, Lily seemed to be very interested in her fingernails. When the werewolf failed to elaborate, Sirius asked:

"It...is?"

"Yes, it is." Remus confirmed, but once again he failed to say anything else. Indeed, Carrie couldn't help but feel that he was concentrating a little too hard on pouring the tea into his cup.

The other two Marauders exchanged a bemused glance and James admitted:

"I don't know that it is."

"Wormtail's late." Remus observed as he went to retrieve the milk, and at this blatant change of subject, his friends exchanged another worried glance.

"What're you thinking, Moony mate?" James asked worriedly, and at long last Lily looked up from her inspection of her fingernails to fix the werewolf with an equally worried expression.

"I'm not thinking anything. I just..." Remus trailed off, seemingly giving himself a small shake before shuffling over towards the fridge to retrieve the bottle of milk.

"You just what?" Sirius probed, leaning forward across the table expectantly.

Remus fumbled with the lid of the milk bottle for a moment before splashing a dash of the liquid into his mug. There he paused, staring down at the swirling white patterns in the cup as the milk merged with the tea.

"I just think...well..." he frowned deeply before reaching to set the bottle down beside the teapot. "Well there's only two things a Death Eater can want with people like us, isn't there?" he turned to offer those gathered around the table of his parents' kitchen a grim look. "Either they want to kill us, or they want to recruit us. And...and I don't know about you but...but when you plan on recruiting somebody for something...well...well you're going to have to be...nice."

Lily's gaze dropped immediately back to her lap and she reached to fiddle with a strand of red hair as Sirius gave a snort and recalled:

"She wasn't nice to you, Remus, she tried to hex the crap out of you! It's four days later and face still looks like you've been tugging on the end of a baby dragon's tail..."

"I hexed her first." Remus pointed out, retrieving his tea from the counter top and shuffling back to his seat. "She was defending herself. She could have killed me..."

"She could have killed Frank and Lily."

"Well...yes, but..."

"Shut up and pass the jam." Sirius insisted, and once again Remus scowled at him. When Lily looked up from staring at her hands again, Carrie expected her to scold Sirius as she usually did, but instead she told Remus:  
"Sirius has a point, you know. Merlin knows what was going on that day but there's not much use torturing yourself about it. If they're trying to recruit any of us...well, not a whole lot different from expecting to be murdered really is it?"

Remus leant to rest his face in his hands with a sigh.

"I'd rather be murdered." he murmured as Sirius sighed irritably and got up to fetch the jam himself.

"Where in Merlin's name has Wormtail got to?" James wondered rather loudly, getting to his feet and reaching to slap a comforting hand down upon Remus' shoulder. "Give him half a chance and he'd be late to his own bloody funeral!"

"We should leave without him, they'll be no tables left at this rate." Sirius grumbled as he too got to his feet. As the two of them wandered impatiently over to the front door, Lily yawned widely, before reaching across the table to prise the hands away from Remus' face.

"There's no point worrying, Remus." she reminded him as she laced her fingers through his, her gaze upon him firm. "Just...keep both eyes open, stay alert..."

"I'm leaving home." he announced suddenly, voice not much more than a whisper, eyes darting to meet her gaze, and she caught her lip between her teeth as she sucked in a deep, alarmed breath.

"Why?" she whispered back, and he glanced over towards Sirius and James for a moment. Apparently he was in no hurry to be overheard.

"I just think it's best."

"It's not best for you, Remus! I mean...where are you going to go?" Lily hissed, grip upon his hands tightening in panic at the idea, and Carrie felt her stomach twist into a knot as she wondered whether or not his decision was based upon events that really ought not have happened. If they were, would it change the future? The muggle turned to gage Teddy's reaction to the news, but the metamorphmagus seemed too busy watching Sirius and James over by the door. The two Marauders appeared to be squabbling.

"Where I go doesn't matter." Remus insisted resolutely. "Just as long as it's away from my parents, I don't care where."

"You'll break your mum's heart, you know that."

"Rather her heart than the alternative, don't you think? Besides, if something were to happen to either of them it'd break my heart! Me joining the Order is dangerous enough for them without me living here with them."

"But...where are you going to go? James' parents are running out of spare bedrooms..."

"Merlin knows...I thought I'd talk to Dumbledore about it, you know, at the next meeting. You won't tell the others, will you? Or my parents? I...want to keep it quiet for now, until I know where I'm going..." Remus trailed off, frowning thoughtfully before adding: "Or Anya. Don't tell Anya, either."

Lily's grip upon his hands slackened somewhat and she offered him a carefully composed smile.

"How're things then, with you and Anya?" she asked, and quite suddenly Teddy's attention snapped back to the hushed conversation around the table.

Remus gave a vague shrug.

"Alright, I suppose." he mumbled evasively, and at Lily's probing stare he explained: "I've not seen her since before full moon...good thing too I suppose, like Sirius says..."

"Not got any sunglasses handy, then?" Lily sniggered, offering him a raised eyebrow, and at long last he grinned and admitted:

"Sadly not, no."

Once her sniggering had subsided, Lily's expression became serious again as she told him:

"I'm glad you met her, you know."

"You like her?"

"Oh yes...she's lovely."

There was a long silence as the two simply grinned rather stupidly across the table at one another, and Carrie and Teddy exchanged a rather bewildered glance, only for Lily to add:

"She's lovely proof, anyway."

"Lovely...proof?"

"Well yes. She's proved James and I right. There are people out there who don't care. And...and I bet there are others, too."

"Maybe. But I don't care about the others." Remus told her, still grinning, and as Lily offered him a distinctly disappointed smile he pulled his hands free of her grasp and got to his feet, wondering: "Where in Merlin's name is Peter? This is getting ridiculous..."

As she and the two time travelers watched him wander over to join in with whatever little argument that his other friends were midway through having, Lily failed to suppress a heavy sigh, reaching to rake a hand through her hair.

"I'm not sure I can do this." she admitted to Carrie with a shake of her head, and Carrie reached to chew thoughtfully upon a nail.

"You need to find a reason not to like Anya." Teddy told the witch as at long last there came a knock at the door that announced Peter's arrival. "Telling him she's lovely won't do much good, will it?"

Lily reached to rub her eyes with a soft groan.

"No," she mumbled, "I don't suppose it will. But...I just don't know! What is there about Anya that we don't like?"

Both time travelers offered her an unhelpful shrug.

And yet they had no idea that in just a few short days, Anya's fatal flaw was about to become startlingly obvious.

And the consequences would be explosive to say the least.

Lily's attempts to talk to Remus about Anya were continuously feeble for the next few days, and it was not until one evening some week after Dora's escape from the Longbottoms' house that she finally announced to Carrie and Teddy that enough was enough.

"I'm just going to have to tell him!" the red head announced resolutely one evening as they sat in a forest clearing, watching James and Sirius whiz around upon their broomsticks through the treetops above. "If I don't, you two will never get home!"

And with that, before either Carrie or Teddy could say a word, the witch got to her feet and marched over to the tree that Remus was sat beneath, engrossed in yet another time travel book. Carrie and Teddy got to their feet too, taking a few discreet steps after her until they came to a halt at Peter's side. Staring blankly up at James and Sirius, both time travelers listened intently as Lily dropped down upon the ground beside the werewolf.

"Where's Anya?" she asked briskly, and Carrie felt her stomach clench at the abruptness of the question. Remus, on the other hand, didn't seem to notice.

"At home, I suppose." he guessed, offering the girl beside him a raised eyebrow, and she smiled widely, reaching to wrap both arms around his arm as she announced:

"Good. I've got you all to myself, then."

"Hm." he agreed, taking this as a hint to close his book.

"I think we should have a little chat." Lily announced, grip upon him tightening as if she expected him to attempt to run away.

"About...?" Remus prompted, leaning back against the tree trunk with a frown.

"About...things." the witch decided vaguely.

"Ah yes. Things."

There was silence between the pair for a long moment as they watched Sirius chasing James around a nearby tree trunk with a war-like shriek, one hand desperately attempting to grasp hold of the messy haired boy by the back of the robes.

"Remus?"

"Hm?"

"D'you think...d'you think war makes us rush life?"

Remus paused thoughtfully just as Sirius narrowly avoided crashing into a low hanging branch, sending him zig-zaging off across the clearing and into the trees beyond.

"There's no doubt." the werewolf murmured, and beside him Lily agreed:

"I think so." She let out a soft snort of resignation as she admitted: "I'd get married tomorrow, you know, if James asked me. If it wasn't for this war, I'd laugh at him for asking. It's foolish, isn't it?"

"No. Not for you or James."

"Why not?"

"It just isn't. I can't explain it without saying something overtly soppy and cheesy, so...just take my word for it."

Lily sniggered into the worn woolen sleeve of his jumper.

"Go on," she said a minute later, voice serious once again. "Say it."

"Well," Remus said, seemingly going a little red. "Some people, like you and James...they're made for one another."

"Is there somebody for everybody?" Lily wondered, smiling at the thought.

"No, there isn't."

The witch turned to regard him searchingly as she asked:

"What about you?"

Remus appeared to find this question something of a puzzle, and it took him several moments before he decided:

"Perhaps somebody is for me...but I'm not for anybody."

"What about Anya?"

The werewolf sighed heavily as he admitted:

"That's why I said perhaps." He reached to scratch his head with a frown as he told his friend: "But then again I've still not seen her, you know. She hasn't called on me all week."

"Have you called on her?"

"I tried yesterday, but she wasn't at home. Nobody was."

"Do you think," Lily began hopefully, only to pause and attempt not to sound so pleased. "Do you think, maybe, she...well..."

"Do I think she's bored of me?" Remus supplied dully. "Probably, yes."

Lily leant to rest her cheek against his shoulder with a sigh that was an odd mixture of sadness and relief.

"Are you sad?" she asked, hugging his arm fiercely. "Do you miss her?"

"I miss her but I'm not sad...not yet."

"No?"

"No..." he gave a rather dark chuckle as he said: "There's still hope, you see. It's when she finally shows up and tells me that we need to talk that I'll start feeling sad."

"D'you love her?" Lily asked, voice not more than a murmur, and at this both Carrie and Teddy's gaze darted sideways to look at the pair.

It took Remus a full minute to reply, his gaze upon the rustling branches above him.

"I love...the idea of her." he decided at long last, fingers tapping thoughtfully upon the book in his lap. "I mean...you love James because he's James. But I love Anya because...because she loves me. At least I think she does...maybe not...if she's bored..." He trailed off, expression distinctly bemused.

"That's not the most healthy basis for a relationship though, is it?" Lily mumbled, only for Remus to shrug and tell her:

"I'm not sure I care."

The conversation was abruptly interrupted by Sirius' crash landing onto to woodland ground, mud and fallen leaves being thrown up behind him as he skidded half the length of the clearing, James' laughter ringing in his ears. Once she had shaken her head in exasperation, Lily turned her attention back to the wizard sat beside her.

"What's she going to do?" she asked as Remus sniggered at Sirius' attempts to disentangle himself from his broomstick. "For work, I mean, now she's out of school?"

"Apothecary's assistant." the werewolf recalled distractedly, as Sirius scowled at his laughter and offered him a particularly rude hand gesture. "She wanted to go and take one of those Ministry courses so she could skip the assistant part, but she hasn't the grades. So she's going to work her way up from the bottom instead."

"Hmm." Lily murmured, and his attention immediately snapped back to their conversation.

"What do you mean, hmm?" he asked defensively, and she visibly squirmed under his gaze for a moment before giving a feeble shrug and admitting:

"Well...it's not the best job in the world...sweeping floors and...and washing out cauldrons...pay's awful..."

"Well we can't all be geniuses and millionaires!" he pointed out, pulling his arm free from her grasp so that he could fold his arms across his chest.

"Of course we can't, Remus...but...it's just...well..."

"Well what?"

"Well...I think you could do better." Lily sat up straighter, expression suddenly stern. "I think you could do better and...and you'll have to do better! I mean...what if she wants to marry you?"

"What if she does?"

"Well...well you can't marry a...an apothecary's assistant, can you?"

As James landed at Sirius' side and they, along with Carrie, Teddy and Peter all turned to stare at Lily's sudden outburst, the witch drew a deep breath, face reddening self-consciously as she insisted:

"Let's be practical here...let's just...let's say you do marry her! She's the only one who'll have a job any time soon out of the two of you, she'll be paying for everything! Well...well how d'you suppose she'll live comfortably with...with you to look after? You can't marry somebody like that, Remus, you'd have to marry somebody with a bit more money like a...an Auror or...or something!"

As Remus' face seemingly paled, Sirius grinned broadly.

"An Auror, eh?" he said as he stooped to retrieve his broomstick from the ground. "Watch out for this one, Prongs mate, she's as cunning as a Slytherin, she is! Marry an Auror, wait a few months for the Death Eaters to take her out, inherit all her money...!"

"That's harsh, Padfoot..."

"...Then again you'll be lucky to find one if they're dropping like flies..."

"Shut up, Sirius!" Lily snapped, shooting him a disgusted look, only for Remus to mumble:

"I never said I was going to marry her, for Merlin's sake!"

"But you might do!" Lily insisted, eyes wide in alarm at the thought. "You might do eventually, I mean...I mean you think it's all just a bit of fun for now but...but that's what I thought about James!"

"Oi!"

"And...and look at us now!"

"Are we getting married, then?"

"Shut up James! Listen, Remus, just...just think about it, won't you? Please?"

There was a long silence as Remus simply stared at Lily in uncomprehending silence, before he slowly shook his head.

"One minute you tell me how pleased you are and how nice you think Anya is, and the next you're...I don't even know!"

As the werewolf got abruptly to his feet, Lily's hand shot out to grab him somewhat desperately by the ankle.

"I'm only saying...!"

"Well don't!" he snapped, yanking his foot free as he snatched up his bag from the grass, slinging it furiously over his shoulder. "We're not all like you, Lily! We're not all so bloody perfect that we can have anybody we choose! There's no bloody point aiming for the stars if we struggle enough just to get our feet off the ground!"

They watched in resigned silence as he stomped off across the clearing and disappeared into the trees, and there was a lengthy pause before James stopped staring after him. The messy haired boy rounded on his girlfriend with wide eyes as he exclaimed:

"That was bloody horrible!"

Lily's gaze dropped to her lap as she shifted uncomfortably under his stare. When she failed to say anything in her defense, James demanded to know:

"Why would you say something like that? We're supposed to be ENCOURAGING HIM!"

"I am!" Lily insisted dejectedly, hair falling down over her shoulder, a guilty red veil. "I told him he could do better..."

"How is that encouraging him? It's scaring him, maybe! Don't try and make him run before he can walk, for Merlin's sake! And he's not half wrong, is he? It's a bloody miracle he's met Anya! She's a nice girl and she likes him despite everything! Why in Merlin's name would you want to mess that up?"

"Exactly!" Sirius agreed, folding his arms disapprovingly across his chest. "I'm not saying you're wrong, I reckon he could probably do better too...but let's be honest, Lily, what are the chances? They're bloody slim, this might end up being his only chance!"

"He's EIGHTEEN!" Lily cried, hands balling into fists as she finally tossed her head defiantly to look up at them. "He's eighteen years old, he doesn't need to find somebody right now! He could wait ten, twenty years if he has to! And he can't get it wrong, can he? We can't let him! If she's not perfect than we have to tell him now! Because we know what he's like! If he married her and it all turned out to be a mistake he'd probably crucify himself for it! He'd never forgive himself, he'd be miserable!"

"He's not a bloody child!" James shouted, grip upon his broomstick so tight that Carrie wondered if it would snap. "We don't know better than him! We can't just tell him how to live his life, who to be with and what to do! We don't know what it's like to be him, the only person who does is Remus himself! You had no right to tell him any of that! No right at all!"

"But it's alright when you do it though, isn't it James? It was all fine when you and Sirius told him he should ask Daniella Wentworth to go to Hogsmeade with him in seventh year! It was alright when you tried to persuade him not to take NEWT level Muggle Studies because it was boring! It's alright when YOU interfere in his life, isn't it? But when I try and help him it's a CRIME!"

"Hardly!" James cried, face contorting indigently. "Daniella Wentworth was shagging Christopher Roberts, and thanks to Remus' Muggle Studies NEWT he's able to act almost as muggle as you can, which will do him all sorts of favours when he goes to muggle college in a year or two! Fact of the matter is, Remus knows what's best for Remus most of the time! None of us should be sticking our noses in!"

"Does he now?" Lily shouted, scrambling furiously to her feet. "Well how about this for him knowing what's best for him! He's decided it's best if he LEAVES HOME!"

Silence instantly descended upon the clearing like a lead balloon. Both Sirius and James stared at Lily with wide, horrified eyes and Peter reached to clamp a hand to his mouth.

"He what?" Sirius managed eventually, taking a small stumbling step forward as if he might have misheard her.

"He's going to leave home!" Lily announced, tone bordering on triumphant at their horror. "He says it's best for everybody, he doesn't like putting his parents at risk!"

"But...where's he going to go?" James asked in alarm. "I've...I've not the room, he knows that! None of us do!"

"Well Dumbledore wasn't full of ideas or even enthusiasm on that front when Remus asked for advice, so Merlin knows where he plans on going...park bench'll probably do him, won't it? He's not very fussy."

The remaining Marauders exchanged a series of horrified glances, before James declared:

"Well we have to stop him!"

"Yes!" Sirius agreed, nodding his head vigorously. "We have to make him realise what a prat he's being!"

"We can't have him sleeping rough!" Peter exclaimed, voice a pitch higher than usual in agitation at the idea, and they were all set to dash after Remus through the trees when Lily's voice stopped them.

"Well you can't say anything." the witch announced, hands flying to her hips. "Who gave you the right to tell Remus that he can't leave home if he wants to?"

All three Marauders scowled.

"Yes, yes!" James grumbled impatiently as he waved a dismissive hand in Lily's direction. "Point taken! Now come on! We need to talk some sense into him!"

As the three wizards dashed off back towards the Lupins' house, Lily let out a heavy sigh, shaking her head.

"Remus is going to kill me for that one." she muttered despairingly as Teddy and Carrie came to stand beside her.

"That didn't go too well, did it?" Teddy observed worriedly, and to both his and Carrie's surprise, Lily shrugged.

"Oh I don't know," she said as the three of them set off slowly after the others. "It wasn't too bad. There's a seed of doubt in his head at least. We just need to hope it grows."


	19. For Us

_Note: Is this chapter really short? Yes. But does it have one of the most epic cliffhangers I've ever written at the end of it? Yes!_

_Also, I have decided that it was a good place to end so that the Grand Finale could all happen in one big action-packed chapter! So...don't hate me! Consequently there will be just two chapters left of this story now! _

_If anybody has a moment, the poll mentioned last chapter is still up!_

_This chapter is dedicated to **IwillForeverMissYou**, because starting high school is Big Thing and I thought I would mark the occasion for you with a dedication! I hope you have a great first day on Monday, and all other school days, come to that! XD_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor am I making any profit from this piece of writing. _

**19: For Us**

That afternoon Carrie and Teddy's walk back through the woods to the Lupin house was disturbed by the sound of a voice that stopped them dead in their tracks.

"She's taken her time, hasn't she?"

Both children immediately spun around, eyes roaming over their surroundings searchingly, only to come to rest upon the green-cloaked figure that stepped out from behind the tree that they had just passed.

Dora Lupin reached to draw the hood back from her face, dark eyes twinkling with amusement as both her son and neighbor simply stared at her in astonishment.

"Don't look so surprised, for Merlin's sake!" she told them indignantly as they finally snapped out of their shock and hurried over to greet her properly. "I did pass those Stealth exams, you know...second time round..."

"Where have you been?" Teddy cried, skidding to a halt and throwing his arms around her.

The Auror reached to push a wayward strand of mud brown hair from her eyes, free hand patting the boy comfortingly upon the back.

"Nowhere much." she recalled vaguely, offering Carrie a raised eyebrow over Teddy's shoulder. "Keeping an eye on the pair of you, mostly."  
"We're perfectly alright." Carrie assured her brightly when Teddy finally saw fit to take a step backwards. "Remus and the others take good care of us."

"Remus takes awful care of you." Dora muttered, reaching to brush a splatter of mud from the front of her jeans. "Running off and leaving you to walk back on your own so you can run into the nasty Death Eater! I've been skulking about in these woods for days and nobody's noticed! Good thing there's no real Death Eaters after you, isn't it?"

At such a cheery tone, Carrie shuddered at the thought.

"Anyway," Dora went on, grin fading a little from her face. "I'm not keeping an eye on you for your sakes, I'm keeping an eye on you for humanity's sake! Don't want you spouting any other ridiculous things that will get us all into trouble, do I?"

Carrie felt her cheeks reddening, but the witch didn't seem to notice because Teddy gave his foot an irritated stamp and asked:

"What about the ridiculous things you've spouted? Tell them I'm Bellatrix's niece, tell them I'm a Death Eater..."

"It's a believable cover story."

"It's an awful cover story! Now Dad thinks Voldemort's going to show up and try and recruit him or...or something!"

Carrie watched in horror as Dora gave a unconcerned shrug.

"Doesn't really matter that much." she reasoned, frowning down at her boots at the sight of a loose shoelace. As she stooped to tie it up again she recalled: "Alecto Carrow'll be round in a month or so to have a little chat with him anyway."

"What?" Teddy cried, eyes widening in horror, only for Dora to sigh and say:

"Keep up, Teddy love! How many times have you asked Dad to tell you about that whopping big scar on his leg? Personally I've always preferred the one about how Alecto's nose got that bent, but still..."

"I want to go home." Teddy moaned, reaching to rake a miserable hand through his hair. "I don't like this, I don't like war-time!"

Dora's chilling amusement instantly dulled.

"Not long now, Sweetheart." she assured him, one hand reaching to grasp him reassuringly by the shoulder. "It'll be a quiet few days, too. Nothing terrible is going to happen, I promise. Now run along the pair of you and look after one another...I do need the occasional tea break after all. And remember: I'm watching you!"

When they reached the edge of the trees a few minutes later, having heard the distinct pop of Dora apparating away, Carrie found herself feeling homesick for the first time that day, and yet it would be just a short while later that longing for home would be the last of the muggle's worries.

Because it was under the last tree that they passed before reaching the road that they came across the hunched and quietly sobbing form that after a few hesitant steps forward they identified as being Anya.

So absorbed in her misery was the young witch that she did not appear to notice her audience. She was sat huddled up against the tree trunk, hugging her knees tightly to her chest as she sobbed woefully into the folds of her dress, each choked breath making her shudder from foot to toe.

Teddy and Carrie exchanged a baffled glance before Teddy drew in a deep, reluctant breath and called hesitantly:

"Anya...?"

At the sound of his voice, Anya gave a startled jolt upright, narrowly avoiding hitting her head against the tree trunk. As she peered up at the two children stood before her with wide, bloodshot eyes, Carrie could only assume that she had been crying for an awfully long time, for her face was pink and streaky from cascades of fallen tears.

"Are you okay?" Teddy asked her kindly, though evidently the answer was already crystal clear.

Anya stifled a fresh sob into the sleeve of her cardigan, head twitching in a distinctly indecisive manner.

"Is there anything we can do?" Carrie asked her, taking another small step forward, trying to be be startled when Anya's eyes snapped to stare at her. "Is there...something or...someone...?"

Another twitch of the head was not particularly helpful, but nevertheless the muggle wondered:

"Should I fetch your...your mother? Or...or your brother? Or..." Dare she say it? "Or Remus? Shall I go and get Remus for you?"

At long last, the twitch had gone and Anya managed to give her head a definite nod, though soon after she dissolved into tears even more hysterical and dejected than before.

"Right...right well...well you just wait there then!" Teddy announced, one hand raised a little as if he was debating whether or not to pat her gingerly upon the shoulder. "We'll send him right out, he'll only be a second!"

Both Carrie and Teddy felt quite relieved to turn tail and dash back to the house. After some searching, they found Remus in the back garden, lying stretched out upon the bench, gazing thoughtfully up at the clouds above him. Carrie glanced up as if expecting to see something of interest, but all she could conclude was that it looked as though it was about to rain.

"Hi," Teddy greeted as they came to a halt by the werewolf's feet, and without so much as a downward glance Remus murmured:

"Hello."

"Anya wants you." Carrie announced, at last coaxing his gaze down from the gathering clouds. "She asked us to fetch you...she's...in a state."

Remus hastily swung his feet down to the ground and pulled himself up into a sitting position.

"What kind of state?" he asked, entirely oblivious to Teddy's resigned sigh at his sudden concern. "She's not hurt, is she?"

"No..." Carrie mumbled, though it suddenly occurred to her that she hadn't really checked...

She really had looked an awful mess...

Carrie felt a lump form in her throat.

Remus was already halfway to the back door.

"She was just a bit upset about something...we're not sure what!" Carrie called after him, a vain attempt to make herself feel better, and the werewolf had barely disappeared inside before Teddy had reached to grab hold of the muggle by the elbow, dragging her round the side of the house.

They settled themselves in the narrow gap between a ramshackle storage shed and garden fence, and there they peered through the gaps in the splintering wood, gazes fixed upon Anya's still sobbing figure by the tree.

Despite his initial haste, Remus approached the whimpering witch at a far more subdued pace. Just like the time travelers beforehand, Anya did not seem to notice his approach until he dropped down to sit upon the grass beside her, at which point she gave another startled jump, eyes snapping up to look at him. Before he could say a word, she had let out a fresh wail of misery, before slumping sideways against him, burying her face in the front of his jumper.

"Shhh." Carrie heard the werewolf murmur as he reached to wrap both arms tightly around her. "It's alright now, it's all alright..."

Through her hysterics, Anya managed to shake her head, hands reaching to grasp agitated fistfuls of his jumper. There the two of them stayed for some long minutes, his mumbled reassurances stubbornly persistent until she had seemingly sobbed so much that she no longer had the energy to disagree with him.

"Come on," Remus told her once the worst of the hysteria appeared to be over. "Tell me what's wrong, I'm sure it can't be anything like as dreadful as you think it is."

Apparently Anya strongly disagreed with this statement, for she let out a fresh wail of despair and reached to tug at fistfuls of her disheveled hair in agitation.

"Don't do that." Remus told her, reaching to carefully prise the hands away from her head. "It's not that bad, I promise. Just tell me all about it and you'll see..." he trailed off, calm facade somewhat shaken when she began to shake her head vigorously once again.

"No..." she managed to whimper dejectedly, and he reached to wrap both arms tightly around her again in a vain attempt to stop her trembling.

"You can tell me anything, you know." he assured her as she went limp in his arms. "Absolutely anything in the whole entire world! And I promise, I won't tell a soul, I'll keep it all to myself!"

At this endeavor, Anya peered up at him through watery, red-rimmed eyes, the tears still streaming down her cheeks.

"If you don't tell me all about it, I can't make it any better." Remus pointed out, reaching to dab at her tear-strewn face with the sleeve of his jumper.

Anya took a long moment to find her voice, her breaths so shaky and choked that it took time to gather a full lungful of air.

"P...please Remus..." she finally managed to stammer, eyes wide as if she were a deer caught in headlights. "Remus help me, I...I d...don't...I don't know w...what to do!"

As she made to dissolve into sobbing tears once again, Remus reached to cup her face in his hands, expression comfortingly calm.

"Shh. Tell me, Anya. Tell me all about it and we can start making it better..."

"I...I didn't m...mean to, I...I...they said...they said it was...it was...g...good...!"

"Who? Who said it was good?"

"A...and I just thought...I...I don't know! I...I was thinking a...about you! Y...you a...and A...Aristo! They...they said it would b...be...b...better for...for us! I...I did it for us!"

Remus appeared to be struggling to keep his expression neutral. His hands came to rest upon the babbling witch's shoulders and he stared at her, eyes suddenly wide.

"What did you do, Anya? What did you do for us?" Carrie heard him ask, voice not much more than a whisper, only for Anya to complain:

"I...I don't...I don't like it, I...I don't like it anymore! I w...want...I want out! Y...you have to help me get out...I'm frightened, Remus! I'm so frightened!"

Remus' expression darkened, his grip upon her shoulders tightening so much that she flinched back from him in alarm.

"Show me what you've done." he insisted, voice suddenly stern, and Carrie frowned at his unblinking stare when Anya merely shook her head, eyes screwed shut as she let out another choked wail.

"Oh Merlin..." Carrie heard Teddy breath, but before she could turn to say a word Carrie drew in a startled breath as Remus' hand abruptly shot out to grasp firmly hold of Anya by the wrist. A somewhat feeble struggle ensued as Anya continuously shook her head, trying to pull herself free.

"You're h...hurting..." she whimpered to Carrie's shock, but he either didn't hear her or simply didn't care.

"Show me!" he demanded, and with that he reached with his free hand to grasp the sleeve of her cardigan before yanking it up towards her elbow.

And with that the pair of them promptly froze.

Grim silence descended around them, punctured by Anya's erratic, gasping breaths, and Remus's grip upon her wrist visibly slackened. An age seemed to pass as the two of them stared down at freshly burnt Dark Mark upon her pale forearm.

It took the young Order member another age to swallow the enormous lump in his throat and, drawing a slow, trembling breath, he manage to ask:

"Why?"

And the young Death Eater took an equally long time to tell him:

"For us."


	20. Trapped

_Note: I have decided to split this final sequence into two, so that there are two normal length chapters instead of one monster-length one! _

_This chapter is dedicated to **shine lots**, for sending me both the longest and most brilliant review that I think I've ever received! Thanks very much for making such an effort to write – you made my day! :-)_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor am I making any profit from this piece of writing. _

**20: Trapped**

Carrie Winters felt her heart begin to pound in her chest as Remus' face contorted in momentary incomprehension...

And then he started to laugh. A choked, strained high pitched sound that, as it rose in his throat, convinced the watching muggle that at that precise moment, he'd entirely lost his mind.

Apparently Anya seemed to think something similar, because she paused in her sobbing to shuffle back from him a little, biting worriedly down upon her bottom lip.

"Well," the werewolf managed to announce once his bout of hysteria had dulled a little. "Thank you so very, very much...I'm pretty sure that this is the most...the most terrible and...and insulting thing that anybody has ever done for me!" At the sight of her hand creeping back towards her arm, the accursed black skull upon her arm staring triumphantly up at him, he hastily scrambled to his feet, taking a good few steps backwards to put some space between them. "Do you have any idea how...how unbelievably foolish..."

"I didn't have a...a choice!" she cried in protest, hurrying to stand too. "You...you don't get given a choice, Remus!"

"There is always a choice!"

"But the Dark Lord...his power...!"

"I don't give a toss how powerful he is!" Remus bellowed, hands balling into tight fists as his face flushed a furious shade of red. "Voldemort isn't the Dark Lord over anybody! He can't lord it over me, he can't make me or anybody join him if we aren't willing! We all have a choice, Anya! We can say no!"

"They said he...he's going to...to make things better..."

"Better? Voldemort? Do you honestly believe that? Of course you don't! Look at yourself! You're just...just pathetic and weak and you have to try and tell yourself that because if you didn't you'd not be able to look yourself in the mirror each morning!"

Anya expression became suddenly indignant.

"Are you trying to tell me," she asked, branded arm cradled defensively against her chest. "that you would say no? That you would be perfectly capable of...of looking Him in the eye and...and telling him...!"

"I'd tell him he was wasting his breath! I'd tell him to draw his wand and get on with it! I'd die and be bloody proud of it, too!"

"You say that now!" Anya protested, taking an imploring step towards him, only for him to take two steps backwards. "But...but you've never seen Him! You've not...not stood in his presence!"

Remus let out another disbelieving chuckle, the laughter catching in his throat as he threw his arms out wide and challenged:

"Well go on, then! Prove me wrong! Do whatever it is that you do with that...that brand on your arm and summon him! Summon Voldemort here and watch him strike me down dead! You better watch closely, I swear I'll be smiling!"

"Y...you...you don't mean that..."

"Maybe I do or maybe I don't. The point is you bloody hope I don't mean it, don't you? Because you're more frightened than I am! You've joined a hateful cult out of fear and now you've done it you're even more scared than you were before! It's stupid...you're stupid!"

Anya's misery finally seemed to shift to anger, and she clenched her teeth, hands balling into fists to match him.

"Well we can't all be geniuses, can we Remus? We can't all know it all like you do! Well I'll tell you something! You aren't half as clever and brilliant as you think you are! I thought you were different from the others, but I was wrong! You're the same as all the other stupid little boys out there who think they're better and smarter than everybody else! Well who gave you the right to be so righteous? Who do you think you are, j..judging m...me? Y...you don't know w...what it's...l...like!" she trailed off, the fire fading from her voice as she let out a fresh choking sob, reaching to swipe yet more tears from her eyes.

"L...listen, Remus..." Carrie heard her murmur, voice dropping to a somewhat garbled mumble. "I...I love you..."

"Don't."

"No! I...I do! I love you and...and that's why I...I'm going to...to try and save you."

"I don't need to be saved by a Death Eater, thanks."

"Remus listen!" Anya cried, throwing her hands up in frustration as the werewolf stood, scowling at her for all he was worth. She took a few determined steps forward, dropping her voice until Carrie and Teddy had to strain to hear her as she hissed: "The Dark Lord is curious! There's something strange going on around here and he wants to know what!"  
Remus visibly paled, though his expression remained unchanged.

"I don't know what you're..."

"The Death Eater in the woods!" Anya told him, eliciting a audible gulp from Teddy as she announced: "The Dark Lord has seen into my mind, he as seen her and she isn't a Death Eater at all! And...and Bellatrix doesn't have a niece!"

Carrie felt herself shiver.

"So?" Remus said slowly, swallowing the lump that seemed to have formed in his throat.

"So the Dark Lord wants to know who she is! Who would impersonate a Death Eater? Somebody who means the Dark Lord harm, perhaps! And...and who was she looking for, Remus? Who did she ambush?"

It took Remus a very long moment to wet his lips enough to utter:

"Me."

"And so who does the Dark Lord wish to question?" Anya went on, voice high and strained, tears silently cascading down her face.

"Me..." Remus breathed again, balled fists slackening as he drew in a startled breath at the revelation. There was a long, horrified silence before he reached to put a hand to his mouth with a panicked: "O...oh Merlin..."

"Not so brave now, are you?" Anya whimpered, despairing rather than mocking, and he reached to grasp fistfuls of hair, drawing in a series of deep breaths that did not appear to calm him down at all.

"I'm...I'm..."

"You're going to be alright!" Anya insisted, at last hurrying forward until she was stood in front of him, reaching to throw her arms tightly around him. He seemed not to notice, for he did not so much as blink. "I know we'll be alright! We can...we can do this together, you and me! I'm frightened on my own, you're right, I'm scared! But...but when you...when you join too things will be better! We can look out for...for one another!"

Slowly, Remus' horrified expression settled onto something far more focused, and he looked down at the young Death Eater who was staring up at him with wide, anxious eyes.

"You want me to...join the Death Eaters?" he attempted to clarify, his revulsion growing word by word until he was spitting them out as if they were poison. "You want me to...to join Voldemort...?"

"For us!" Anya insisted, his revulsion apparently lost on her, arms tightening around him.

Remus slowly began to shake his head.

"You've not been listening to a single word I've said..." he began, only for Anya to let out a frustrated little shriek as she insisted:

"You don't have a choice!"

"I've already chosen!"

As he reached to try and yank her arms from around him, she clung on desperately, teeth gritted in effort as she cried:

"You don't understand! They're...they're coming! They're coming for you, they'll take you to him and you'll see! You'll see just as I did! You don't have a choice!"

Remus instantly froze.

"Who's coming?" he asked, wincing when she slumped forward and buried her face in the front of his jumper, though he seemed much too distracted to try and put distance between them again. When she failed to reply, he reached to grasp hold of her by the shoulders, pushing her back from him until he could fix her with a firm look. "Tell me, Anya! Who's coming?"

Anya merely shook her head, only to jump when he shouted:

"TELL ME!"

"I...I don't know!"

"Liar!"

"Well...well maybe...perhaps..."

"Perhaps who?"

"B...Bellatrix? D...Dolohov? Notte? Gibbon and...and Rowle? A few others...I...I don't know...! Remus I..."

"When?"

"I...I...

Carrie flinched as quick as a flash Remus has drawn the wand from his pocket and, much to Anya's horror, pointed it threateningly in the Death Eater's face.

"TELL ME WHEN THEY'RE COMING!" He demanded, and she let out a high-pitched wail of misery, only for the tip of his wand to brush her nose, leading her to draw a deep breath and cry:

"Any...any time now...!"

Carrie felt dread descend upon her like a bucket of icy water and she watched numbly as the young Order member gave the Death Eater a furious shove backwards, leaving her to trip and land sprawled upon the grass.

Anya looked from her fall just in time to see an enormous silver figure erupt from the end of Remus' wand, and as it shot off into the trees the witch complained:

"You...you can't run away from them, Remus! You...you just can't, they'll...they'll find you..."

Remus took a step towards her, wand pointing resolutely at her chest.

"I have no intention of running away." he informed her stoically, and she stared up at the wand with wide, terrified eyes.

"Y...you won't hurt me..." she babbled as Carrie felt the terror become all too much for her and she reached sideways to grasp Teddy by the hand. "You wouldn't...you...you love me..."

"I can't love a Death Eater." Remus informed her, and for the first time he sounded deeply saddened instead of angry. And with that, before Anya could protest, he gave his wand a flick and Carrie gasped to watch a jet of red light shoot forward, striking the Death Eater in the chest and her entire body went limp.

There was a long silence as Remus stared forlornly down at the girl upon the ground before he turned away, eyes screwed shut as he took a series of deep, steadying breaths.

Carrie peered at him through the gaps in the fence, her heart racing as she silently willed him to move, do something, leap into action and save the day. Surely that was what he was supposed to do, it was what he usually did...

It was what his adult self usually did...

The muggle observed the panicked werewolf with an increasing sense of worry.

What if, she thought as she felt Teddy shift beside her, they were about to stumble across another difference? What if his ability to keep his head in a crisis was another one of those things that Remus gained with age?

What if the prospect of Voldemort's number one Lieutenant and Merlin knew how many more Death Eaters descending upon his family home in order to drag him away to meet the Dark Lord himself was all just a bit too much for the eighteen year old Marauder to take?

Carrie turned to Teddy, her grip upon his hand tightening.

"Do you think," she mumbled, eyes wide and breaths shaky, "perhaps...perhaps your Mum might...well..."

"She's not here." Teddy informed her grimly. "Must be...on a tea break or something..."

"How do you know?" Carrie asked defensively, glancing over his shoulder into the Lupins' garden in the vain hope that Dora might step out from behind the rose bushes.

"Because if she was still here," Teddy said matter-of-factly. "We'd have been away from here as soon as somebody had muttered Death Eater."

Carrie's heart sank to her shoes, only for a loud crackling noise to make her jump. As a bright shower of red sparks rained down from the sky above them, she felt her spirits lifted ever so slightly to hear Remus' voice shouting:

"EVERYBODY OUT! QUICKLY! DEATH EATERS ARE COMING!"

"Come on!" Teddy said, giving the muggle's arm a firm tug, and as they turned to dash back inside the Lupins' house Carrie noticed that he had drawn the wand from his pocket.

"MRS. LUPIN?" Teddy shouted as they skidded to a brief halt in the kitchen. "MRS. LUPIN, COME QUICKLY! DEATH EATERS ARE COMING!"

As Carrie glanced out through the window over by the front door to see various people emerging from their houses, including an elderly witch who appeared to be wrapped in a bath towel, Rhea Lupin came clattering down the stairs, face paling when Teddy rushed forward to grab hold of her by the arm.

"Quickly!" the young wizard cried, as the panic-stricken witch looked frantically around the living room. "Into the floo! They'll be here any moment!"

"D...Death Eaters?"

"Yes! Quickly!"

To Teddy's frustration she planted her feet firmly upon the floor and demanded to know:

"Where's Remus?"

"He's evacuating the rest of the village!" Teddy told her hurriedly. "The Order of the Phoenix will be on their way, you need to get away from here..."

"I won't leave without my son!" the witch insisted stubbornly, tears instantly prickling at her eyes. "He's who they're after, isn't he? I knew it! I knew this would happen! I told John, I said to him...!"

"Please!" Teddy begged, shooting Carrie a helpless glance. "Please, you can't stay here! It's not safe!"

"I won't leave without Remus!" the werewolf's mother cried, and Carrie was about to attempt to take a turn at trying to reason with her when quite suddenly the front door burst open, making all three of them jump.

"MUM, GET INTO THE FLOO!" Remus demanded as he sprinted across the room, coming to a skidding halt beside him mother, and she instantly yanked her arm free of Teddy in favour of throwing her arms around his neck, burying her face in his shoulder.

"Oh Remus! What in Merlin's name is going on? I..."

"For the love of Merlin!"

"I...I won't go! I won't go without you..."

"If you don't go and stand in the fireplace, Mum, Dad will NEVER forgive me!"

"What...what do they want? Why are they coming?"

"It doesn't matter why! All that matters is that they ARE coming! Now get in the floo!"

"No! Now...now you listen to me! I'm...I'm your mother and...and..."

"Yes, you're my mother! You're my mother and I couldn't live with myself if anything were to happen to you! Not because of me! Now get into that bloody floo, else I'll drag you there myself!"

An eerie sort of calm descended upon the cottage, as out in the world beyond the village's inhabitents ran around in hysteria, stuffing valuables into bags and pockets, screaming to gather elusive offspring and weeping despairingly as they all fled.

Rhea took a small step backwards, staring up at her son with a shaky smile upon her lips. She reached forward to dust a spec of dirt from his jumper, before taking a moment to straighten the collar of his shirt.

"You're a good boy." she told him with an approving nod. "I'm proud of you." She attempted to blink back further tears and Remus sighed heavily and said:

"Don't cry, Mum."

To Carrie's surprise she slapped him rebukingly upon the arm with a squeaky chuckle. They stared at one another for a long moment, before a barking voice from the doorway drew everybody's attention.

"LUPIN!"

Along with the others, Carrie spun around to face the cottage entrance, and for the first time found herself staring at none other than Alastor Mad-Eye Moody.

The grizzled, battle-scarred Auror came stomping across the threshold, one beady eye fixed upon the scene before him whilst the other, presumably magical eye appeared to be staring out of the back of his head. Carrie couldn't help but take a rather nervous step backwards.

"Thank Merlin..." Remus breathed at the sight of him, only for the Auror to give the staff he was holding an impatient bang against the floorboards, making both Carrie and Rhea jump.

"Get out there and help set up the defenses!" he snapped impatiently.

Remus instantly made a run for the door, pausing to glance over his shoulder as he told him mother:

"Get in that floo!" His gaze briefly came to rest upon Teddy and Carrie, and he added: "You two go with her!"

As the werewolf disappeared out of the door, Moody cast one last glance around the room before announcing:

"Fine boy you've got there, Mrs. Lupin. Very fine, mark my words..."

And with that, he turned and stomped back out of the house.

Rhea Lupin reached to swipe a determined hand across her watery eyes before turning and leading the way over to the fireplace. Reaching to snatch up the pot of floo powder from the mantelpiece, she hurriedly told the two children:

"You follow me to the Leaky Cauldron, okay? We'll make for John's office from there! We must get hold of him before he comes home!" She hurriedly tipped out the floo powder into the palm of her hand, only to discover that there was none left for the others. "There's a fresh pot in the cupboard under the sink! Quickly now, Joshua dear!"

As Teddy made a beeline for the sink, Carrie glanced nervously over towards the front door before suggesting:

"Go on, Mrs. Lupin. We'll be right behind you!"

"Right...yes..." Rhea muttered, and with that she ducked into the fireplace, drawing a calming breath so that she could clearly pronounce: "The Leaky Cauldron!"

And with that, she disappeared in a burst of roaring emerald flames.

Once she had gone, Carrie turned impatiently around to see Teddy on his knees, searching frantically through the cupboard under the sink, shoving various bottles and boxes aside as he went.

"Hurry up Ted!" Carrie cried, and her once again sunk to her shoes when Teddy complained:

"I can't find it!"

At that moment, a loud crash from outside drew Carrie's attention and she rushed over to peer out of the window in search of the source of the noise.

In the short time since Remus had raised the alarm, the ramshackle road that ran through the village had suddenly transformed into a hive of activity. A number of witches and wizards, who Carrie could only assume were Order members answering Remus' patronus message, had descended upon the village within the blink of an eye. She could see both Frank and Alice Longbottom stood in the middle of the road, wands raised skyward as they muttered a long series of incantations. James Potter and Sirius Black were each emerging from two houses opposite, levitating a kitchen table each. Carrie watched as they deposited the two pieces of furniture in the middle of the road with a bang, along with what appeared to be a sofa and a fallen tree trunk. Stood to one side of the make-shift defenses, Moody appeared to be in his element, bellowing orders to those swarming around him.

"Miss Evans! You'll take that window up there! Pettigrew, that one over...PETTIGREW PUT THAT BLOODY CHAIR DOWN, YOU'LL TAKE LUPIN'S EYE OUT! Now listen! Get inside that house there! Frank, where's Frank? FRANK! You'd better go with them, keep them out of trouble..." The Auror's barking instructions were cut short by a loud crack signaling somebody apparating just behind him, and he spun around to point his wand in the new arrival's face.

The wizard in question hastily threw up his hands in alarm as he cried:

"Alastor it's me!"

"You should be more bloody careful where you apparate!" Moody snapped. "Where exactly have you been? Lupin sent the signal MINUTES ago...WHERE'S THAT BLOODY BROTHER OF YOURS?"

"Gideon says he'll be here in just a second." the wizard announced somewhat breathlessly, only for Moody to bellow:

"I'LL JUST ASK THE DEATH EATERS TO HANG ON A SECOND THEN, SHALL I? How many times do I have to tell you? CONSTANT..."

_Crack!_

"CONSTANT VIGILENCE!" another new arrival who Carrie thought looked almost identical to the one before him announced. "We know, Mad-Eye..."

"About bloody time too!" Moody snapped, giving his staff a moody stomp. "Now, where are Potter and Lupin? POTTER! LUPIN!"

James and Remus abandoned their arranging of stolen furniture to hurry over to Moody's side.

"Alright, James?" one of the brothers asked conversationally as the two Marauders skidded to a halt. "This better be good, Remus, I've canceled a date for this..."

"Shut up Fabian!" Moody demanded, expression utterly livid at such cheery, mundane conversation. "You go and conceal yourself in the trees and let us know when they appear! Take Lupin with you, he knows how to be quiet!"

"How do you know they'll appear in..."

"Common Sense, Potter! They're not going to apparate out in the open like these two imbeciles here, are they? Gideon, you and Potter will take the wall over there, in case they appear in that field..."

"But...that would be out in the open..."

"EXACTLY!"

"But you said they wouldn't..."

"My point precisely, Potter! The ELEMENT OF SURPRISE!"

James and Remus exchanged a somewhat bewildered glance before James asked:

"What about Sirius?"

"Black will go with Emmeline and Alice in that house over there...DID YOU HEAR ME, BLACK?"

"What about you?"

"Never mind about me! PLACES, ALL OF YOU! WE DON'T HAVE ALL DAY! And remember...CONSTANT VIGILENCE!"

As the Order of the Phoenix dispersed into their allocated positions, back inside the house Carrie heard Teddy demand:

"Carrie stay away from the window!"

Carrie hastily backed away from the glass, only for Teddy to dash past her and reach to draw the curtains firmly shut.

"Where's the floo powder?" the muggle asked anxiously, and as he turned back to face her, the young wizard's expression was painfully grim.

Carrie watched despairingly as he held up a little cardboard box, labeled in green lettering as: Green's Finest Floo Powder, upturning it and giving it a firm shake.

The box was entirely bare.

"Oh Merlin..." Carrie whispered, one hand raised to her mouth. "What are we going to do?"

Teddy dropped the box to the floor before retrieving his wand from his pocket.

"We're going to have to...make a run for another house." he decided, causing her stomach to twist into fearful knots at the notion. "We'll floo away from there."

Before Carrie could protest, he reached to grab hold of her by the hand, and they hurried over to the front door.

"Quickly," Teddy muttered. "Before the fighting starts..." He seized the door handle and flung the door open wide...

Just in time to see bright red sparks shoot up into the air from the trees. A mere half second later, Fabian and Remus apparated behind the make-shift barrier, both dropping into a crouch, as a jet of deadly green light came whizzing over the top of their heads, smashing straight through a nearby cottage window.

Teddy instantly slammed the door shut again, and almost immediately Carrie could hear bangs and crashes as a furious battle ensued outside.

"We're trapped!" the muggle cried, turning to fix her best friend with a wide-eyed, mortified stare.

Over the years, Carrie Winters had got herself into all manner of sticky and on occasion downright dangerous situations. At the age of eleven, she had been kidnapped by Titus Goyle from the safety of her own living room, dragged to his house and threatened with obliviation and Merlin's knew how many possible unfortunate side effects. Under a year later, she had fallen victim to a deranged witch from the Middle Ages by means of a Horcrux disguised as a mirror. She'd been caught in the middle of several explosive wizard duels, been transported through time by a damaged, unstable time turner and on several occasions over the years had even risked consuming Dora's poor imitation of Cauldron Cakes.

During many of these incidents, Carrie had honestly believed that there was a distinct possibility that she was going to die.

She had been terrified. Petrified.

And yet, as she and Teddy stood in the living room of his father's childhood home, the frightening and distinct sounds of mass dueling raging just outside the door, Carrie Winters could honestly say that she had never felt more afraid in her whole entire life than she did right then.

Because she knew the stories. She'd heard so many of them over the years, seen the expressions upon people's faces, felt the thickness of the atmosphere when Teddy's parents and their friends recalled the Old Days, how dark they were, how cold, how dreadful...

She'd seen the shudders, the darkness in their eyes when they joked, the sighs, the shaking heads and the repeated murmurs of: Thank Merlin you'll never really know...

And now she'd been there. She'd seen those Old Days for herself, where the atmosphere was twice as thick with dread, where it hung for day after day without truly lifting. She'd seen the fear in people's eyes, the hatred in their voices, the misery in their tears...

And yet if she were entirely honest with herself for once, Carrie would admit that really, she hadn't ever understood it. She had never felt as though she was even half as frightened as those around her, because she hadn't thought she needed to be. All that had mattered was fixing the time turner, getting rid of Anya and going home...

She hadn't considered the possibility of coming face to face with Death Eaters...

Sh hadn't considered that the reality that she had heard so much about might in fact unfold itself before her eyes in all it's terrible glory.

The terror was stunning. Overwhelming...

She could faint, she was sure of it...

"We need to...to hide or...or something..." Teddy's voice punctured her thoughts, though as the young wizard glanced nervously around him for some sort of clue as to where to hide, Carrie felt entirely unable to think, let alone act.

Teddy reached to give her a firm shake by the shoulder.

"Come on, Carrie!" he cried, as she blinked dully at him. "Snap out of it and think!"

"Um..." the muggle mumbled, sucking in a deep breath in a vain attempt to calm her pounding heart. Apparently Teddy had inherited his father's disdain for cowards, for he demanded:

"Where's your Gryffindor courage?"

"I'm not sure I'm brave enough to be a Gryffindor..." Carrie admitted, only for the wizard to turn and drag her off towards the stairs, muttering:

"Well you ought do a sterling job of hiding like a coward, then! Come on, we'll barricade ourselves in Dad's room or something..."

Once in Remus' room, Carrie watched numbly as Teddy set about dragging the heavy Hogwarts trunk from one corner to set before the door. As he pushed the feeble block into place, Carrie briefly wondered if the words resistance and futile meant anything to her best friend. She decided it was probably best not to ask. In a vain attempt to do something proactive, she went to draw the curtains shut across the window, before daring a peek through the gap down into the street outside.

Wizard duels were, from what Carrie knew from experience, fast and brutal.

Judging from the scene she glimpsed through the curtains, full blown battles were even more fast, and even more brutal.

The roof of the house opposite where Lily, Peter and Frank had been concealed appeared to be on fire. Down in the street, a trio of dark-robed figures wearing pointed hoods were conducting a ferocious attack on a group of Order members who were taking cover behind the ramshackle stone wall that only that morning Carrie had sat upon whilst drinking a glassful of magically chilled orange juice...

Carrie tried to make out who was behind the wall, but the dust and rubble thrown up by the barrage of spells made it too difficult to see. She was just observing a fourth Death Eater making a dash across the road from the trees, blasting open the door of the burning house with a swipe of their wand, when she heard Teddy again snap:

"For Merlin's sake! Get away from the window!"

As the Death Eater ran into the house, one of the trio sprinting to follow, a fifth darted out from Merlin knew where and headed for the house next door where Alice and Sirius had been waiting.

"Ted..." Carrie said, finding her voice dropping to a whisper as that house too found it's door being blasted off it's hinges. "Ted look..."

"Carrie somebody might see you!"

"Teddy I think...I think the Death Eaters...they're...they're...searching all the houses..."

Teddy hurried over to the window and after only the briefest of glances outside, pulled Carrie back before deciding:

"Well you better hide under the bed then."

"Hide under the bed?" Carrie asked him disbelievingly, feeling an odd urge to laugh. "Death Eaters are going to come looking for us so I should HIDE UNDER THE BED?"

"What do you want me to say?" Teddy cried, holding his hands out in defeat. "Do I look like a bloody Auror to you? Now stand still! I'm going to Disillusion you!"

Carrie froze, holding her head in anticipation as he gave a rather bad-tempered mutter and tapped hr sharply upon the head with his wand.

The strange, chilly sensation that slowly seemed to seep its way down her body and under her skin made Carrie shiver, but she became quite distracted from the odd feeling when Teddy told her:

"Now get under the bed! I need to go and fetch something..."

"What?" Carrie asked anxiously, reaching to grab hold of him by the arm when he made to head back to the door, casting his feeble attempt at a barricade an almost insulted look as if he could barely believe himself.

"I'm not an Auror," he said again. "And those people out there are much too busy to be worrying about us. We need somebody to get us out of here...I think it's time to tell Mum the tea break's over."


	21. Sacrifice

_Note: And here we are at the final curtain...I've stayed up late to finish writing this. I hope it hasn't suffered from my lack of sleep! _

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter._

**21: Sacrifice**

As she lay flat upon the floor, cheek pressed against the floorboards, Carrie Winters stared anxiously at Teddy Lupin's feet as he crept carefully out of the bedroom and around the corner towards the room next door.

_I'll be back before you can count to ten_, the wizard had whispered as he had pushed the trunk back from the door a moment earlier.

As soon as his feet had disappeared from sight, Carrie started counting.

_One..._

_Two..._

_Three..._

Time ticked on, and as Carrie began to near double figures she could feel her heart racing in her chest.

When she got to seven, she began to wonder what would happen if Teddy was wrong. What would she do if she got to ten and he hadn't come back? What if...

_Hoooo!_

At the sudden sound, Carrie jumped so much that she nearly cracked her head upon the bed above her, just in time for Teddy's voice to hiss:

"Shhhh! Stupid bird!"

And with that, the metamorphmagus stepped back into the room, accompanied by a feathery companion who appeared intent on pecking one of his ears off.

As Teddy gave his arm an irritated shake, leaving the owl to flutter off to perch atop Remus' wardrobe, eying the wizard with bright orange, indignent eyes, Carrie let out a sigh of relief.

"Can I com out now?" she asked as he shut the door firmly behind him and replaced the trunk again.

"We need paper and ink." Teddy announced, and with that he made for the writing desk in the corner and began searching hurriedly through the drawers.

Carrie climbed back out from under the bed and was just getting to her feet when Teddy finally snatched up a clean scrap of parchment, as he reached to unscrew the bottle of the ink pot, Carrie hurried over, stooping to retrieve a discarded quill pen. Teddy immediately snatched it off of her and hastily began to scribble a message:

_Death Eater Attack!_

_Tea Break's over!_

Once they had coaxed the owl back down from the wardrobe, Carrie found herself put in charge of the mischievous creature.

"You've got the owl, and I've got the wand." Teddy had announced as he once again pushed back their feeble barricade. "We'll go for the spare bedroom window, it's at the side of the house and we're less likely to be seen."

As they set off across the landing a moment later, Carrie did her best to ignore the loud crashes and smashes of the world outside, for they only made her heart pound faster. By the time they reached the spare room, the muggle was considering starting to hum.

They had entered the next room and were just approaching the window when an especially loud crash finally tipped Carrie over the edge.

The muggle couldn't seem to help herself. She ran full pelt across the room, barely aware of the owl's startled fidgeting, and without so much as a glance outside, reached to fling the window wide open until it struck the outside wall with a clang. And with that, she thrust her arm forward, practically catapulting the bird out into the sky. As Teddy skidded to a halt just behind her and they both watched the owl soar off into the distance, Carrie felt a sudden surge of hope, and she barely managed to resist the urge to shout after the creature: Fly faster! Fly faster!

But then, just as she was letting out a loud sigh of relief, a bright jet of blue light streaked through the grassy area below, and both Carrie and Teddy paused in their small triumph to look down.

A black-robed figure was practically dancing across the grass, dodging incoming spells as she went, leaping from side to side as she swiped her wand somewhat lazily around, blocking attacks and occasionally sending back a streaking green curse of her own. As the Death Eater let out a high pitched cackle, twirling manically upon the spot, Carrie couldn't help but think that she had to be entirely insane.

"Four for me! Four for me!" the Death Eater half-sang as she spun, only to come to an abrupt halt, sending a blinding purple hex shooting off towards the road, and Carrie gasped to hear a distinct shout of pain.

"Three for me! Three for me!" the Death Eater shrieked, twirling once again, deflecting another attack upon her with a vague swipe of her wand. The hood of her cloak was thrown back from the twirling...

And then quite abruptly, the Death Eater paused.

She looked up.

And so it was that Carrie Winters locked gazes with the wildly cold-eyed Bellatrix Lestrange.

The muggle's blood ran cold...

"Run!" Teddy's voice hissed urgently in her ear, and with that the two children turned on their heels and fled back out of the room.

"W...where?" Carrie cried as Teddy seized her by the hand and they ran back towards Remus' room.

"Out of this house!" Teddy muttered as they dashed through the doorway. "We can't stay here...she'll...she'll come and get us..."

"But...but how? If we go downstairs..."

"We're not going downstairs!"

"What?"

Carrie stumbled to a confused halt as she watched Teddy hurry to look out of the window, lips pursed in consideration.

"Come here!" he demanded after a moment, holding out his hand to her, but Carrie didn't move.

"Why?" she asked, eying the window worriedly. "You're not thinking...? Not...not what your dad and his friends did...!"

"That's exactly what I'm thinking, now hurry up!"

Carrie's stomach gave a jolt.

"I'm not...jumping out of a first floor window!" she cried as Teddy reached to pull the window open wide.

He turned to stare at her disbelievingly.

"Carrie," he hissed, eyes wide in urgency. "That spell's pretty modern, Dad probably only read about it in theory in a book! But I learned to cast it in third year Charms! Now do you trust me or would you rather we sit around up here and wait for Bellatrix Lestrange to show up?"

Carrie attempted to swallow the nervous lump in the back of her throat...

CRASH!

The floorboards seemed to shudder under their feet and Carrie let out a small shriek, hurriedly reaching to clamp a hand over her mouth.

"She's here." Teddy muttered, just in case the commotion below them wasn't evidence enough, and Carrie's mind was instantly made up.

They struggled their way out up onto the window frame, and Carrie was forced to screw her eyes shut at the dizzying sight of the ground below, lit up by the ongoing battle.

"Ready?" she heard Teddy shout from beside her as he gripped her firmly around the middle, and Carrie had barely opened her mouth to admit that she wasn't ready at all when the young wizard cried: "Jump!"

And with that, they were falling, plummeting down towards the ground. The ground so solid that Carrie couldn't help but let out a high pitched scream as it got closer, closer...

Her feet slammed down upon the ground and her eyes snapped open as she felt the earth seemingly sink underneath her, as if it were a giant trampolene, and before Carrie could so much as gasp it rose back up again until it were flat and solid.

With a sharp exhaled breath of relief, Carrie at last looked up from her feet...

Just in time to spot a dark robed figure popping up from behind the ramshackle wall, wand pointing directly at the two teenagers as a deep voice cried:

"Stupefy!"

A jet of blinding red light shot towards them, and at the sight of it, Carrie felt herself become completely paralyzed by fear...

"PROTEGO!" Teddy bellowed, thrusting his wand forward with such force that he very nearly sent it flying off through the air, and Carrie flinched at the incoming spell, only for it to rebound off an invisible barrier just in front of them. As the Death Eater ducked to avoid the spell before raising his wand again, Carrie shrunk back to hide behind Teddy.

"Run!" Teddy told her as he pulled his hand free from her desperate grasp, but Carrie couldn't think to move, and before she could rediscover full use of her legs, the Death Eater had sent another spell shooting their way. Carrie stumbled sideways as Teddy hastily shoved her out of the way of the incoming spell, and as she tripped and fell towards the ground, Carrie watched the spell miss her best friend's shoulder by mere inches. Teddy hastily regained his balance just in time to take aim again.

"Expeli..." he began determinedly, only for the Death Eater to beat him to it. Carrie watched in horror as a bright flash of light struck Teddy in the arm, and before she could let out a horrified shout the young wizard's wand was soaring through the air, disappearing into the mass of greenery that was growing in a nearby cottage garden.

Carrie felt terror wash over her as the Death Eater once again raised his wand...

Only for a sudden flash of blue light to seemingly appear out of nowhere, striking the Death Eater so forcefully in the side that he was thrown off his feet and slammed into a cottage wall, head colliding with the brickwork with an ugly crunch that made Carrie's stomach jolt.

"Bloody little idiots!" a gruff voice declared furiously to the muggle's right, and as Teddy hastily reached to drag her back onto her feet, Carrie turned to see Mad-Eye Moody stomping towards them. "Thought you'd try and play hero, did you boy? Thought it'd be a little adventure, did you? BLOODY FOOLISH!"

"I...I didn't mean..." Teddy began uncertainly as the grizzled old Auror stalked towards them, scarred features contorted in disapproval.

"THESE PSYCHOPATHS EAT STUPID LITTLE KNOW-IT-ALLS LIKE YOU FOR BREAKFAST!" Moody bellowed, his magical eye swiveling somewhat manically around in it's socket. "You heard Lupin, didn't you? Now did he, or did he not, tell you to GET OUT OF HERE?"

"Well yes but..."

"Think you know better than him, do you?"

"No, but..."

"I know all about morons like you! We get them all the time at the Ministry...they're the ones who die first!"

"There's no floo powder left!" Teddy shouted, quite boldly Carrie thought, and yet this didn't seem to make a whole lot of difference to Moody's manner.

"Well then," he grunted, "you best find somewhere to lie low, hadn't you? Rather than standing around in the middle of the bloody road!" Abruptly, the Auror's arm shot up to take aim at a ground floor window of the blazing cottage behind him, a spell shot from his wand through the window and Carrie heard a distinct yelp of pain, followed by a telling crash. "What are you waiting for then?" he snapped as if he had not been interrupted. "GET OUT OF HERE!"

Teddy hastily grabbed hold of Teddy by the hand again and they set off at a run, only to skid to a halt when there came the distinct sound of smashing glass, and the sitting room window of the cottage they were passing shattered as a rag doll-like body came crashing through it, landing upon the road in front of them with an audible bump.

It was one of the brothers that Carrie had seen irritating Moody just prior to the Death Eaters' arrival, a steady stream of crimson immediately leaking out and staining his ginger-blonde hair.

He didn't appear to be moving.

"Oh Merlin!" Carrie squeaked, queasy at the sight of him. "Is...is he...you don't think he's..."

"He's not dead!" Teddy announced, and before Carrie could give the unconcious Order another glance she found herself being dragged back in the opposite direction as Teddy looked frantically around for somewhere to hide.

"How...how'd you know he's not...?" Carrie asked, not daring to glance back over her shoulder.

"I don't know..." Teddy muttered. "But he can't be...Fabian can't be dead...not yet...it's not his time..."

"Oh Merlin...what if? What if...! We should go back and help him!"

"Not likely Carrie..."

"Why not?"

"Because where there's an unconscious Order member there's probably a conscious Death Eater! We need to hide, don't worry I'm sure somebody will find him...here! Round this corner!"

They skidded around the corner beside the Lupins' house where only a short while earlier they had first spied Bellatrix, and were about to make a dash for the trees when they narrowly avoided tripping over somebody's leg.

There, huddled up against the side of the Lupins' house in a vain attempt to stay out of sight, were three familiar figures all gathered around a fourth who was lying sprawled upon the ground, whimpering for all he was worth.

Abruptly, the two teenagers found a wand pointing directly in their faces, only for the holder to lower it and exclaim:

"What the bloody hell are you doing here?"

As Sirius Black gawped at the two of them in surprise, both Carrie and Teddy looked past him to observe the other Marauders with deep concern.

Peter was lying upon the grass, head propped up upon Remus' lap as he stared up at the werewolf with wide, petrified eyes.

"You're alright mate," James was murmuring reassuringly as he pressed what appeared to be a bloodied navy blue wizard's cloak against his friend's stomach. At the pressure, a loud, choking moan escaped the injured Marauder's lips, the sound sent a shiver down Carrie's spine.

"Shhh!" Remus hissed, only for James to increase the pressure even more, causing Peter to let out a agonized scream.

"Moony shut him up!" James demanded, and Remus immediately reached to clamp a hand down across Peter's mouth.

"Peter you have to be quiet!" the werewolf insisted as Peter's face contorted in pain. "Somebody will hear you!"

"Yeah, SHE might hear you! Crazy bitch..." Sirius muttered, and Remus glanced up at him to reply, only for his eyes to come to rest upon Carrie and Teddy.

"What the bloody hell are you doing here?" he asked, eyes wide in surprise, and Sirius said:

"That's what I just said..."

Remus ignored him.

"I told you to use the floo!" he cried, grip upon Peter tightening anxiously, causing the other Marauder to let out a muffled groan of protest.

"We ran out of floo powder." Teddy explained, before hastily adding: "You're mum's alright, though! There was only enough for one..."

For a brief moment, the werewolf looked relieved, but then his expression darkened and he observed:

"This is bad. If...if Voldemort were to get hold of you..." he trailed off, seemingly unable to comprehend such badness, and Sirius asked:

"D'you think you might like to explain what's going on now? You know, with these two...?"

"Shut up Padfoot." James muttered, frowning deeply as he continued to try and halt Peter's bleeding. "That's business between Moony and Dumbledore. Besides, you're supposed to be keeping watch for Death Eaters!"

"I am!" Sirius hissed indignently. "How do you suppose I spotted these two?"

"You spotted them because they practically bumped into you!" Remus told him irritably. "You're going to get us all killed!"

"Yeah, well," Teddy said, voice light-hearted in an attempt to stop the growing friction. "Better Cleo and I end up dead than Voldemort get hold of us, eh?"

Remus gave a soft snort of what might have been amusement. If it was, Carrie couldn't say that she shared it.

"Know something that important, do you?" Sirius asked curiously, and Remus immediately glared at him.

"Yes they do. Under no circumstances at all is Voldemort to get his hands on them. If he does...well, we'll lose the War." he announced, and James paused in his efforts to look up at him with wide eyes.

"Lose the War?" he cried, as Sirius sobered, expression grim at the notion.

"That's what I said." the werewolf murmured, at last daring to remove his hand from Peter's mouth, and Sirius was about to comment when he spied movement out of the corner of his eye. The estranged Black spun on his heel, wand raised expectantly, only for his aim to waver as he cried:

"Shit!"

"Little help?" Carrie heard a voice inquire dryly, and Carrie turned to spot Gideon staggering towards them, one arm slung around the unconscious Fabian's middle as he dragged his brother towards them.

Teddy hastily hurried over to help, and as they neared the others, Gideon grinned broadly.

"This our make-shift St. Mungo's, then?" he asked, eying the whimpering Peter with a grim frown. "You can't just sit around with him here, you know. He needs a healer." Glancing sideways at his brother, he amended: "They both need a healer. Gimme him here, I'll get them both out of here."

As James and Sirius each reached for an arm with which to heave Peter up onto his feet, Remus told Gideon:

"You can take Cleo and Joshua with you."

"Alright then," Gideon agreed, offering the two time travelers a friendly smile that Carrie couldn't help feel was inappropriate at a time like this. "You'll have to grab hold of my cloak or something, I'll have my arms full!"

Sirius and James were just leading a staggering Peter over for Gideon to throw his free arm around him to hold him upright, when from out of nowhere a high pitched voice shrieked:

"AVADA KEDAVRA!"

The Killing Curse came soaring towards them from the first floor window that Teddy and Carrie had spied Bellatrix Lestrange from, and Carrie flinched in renewed terror as it shot past Sirius' ear, missing him by mere inches. Gideon instantly disapparated with a pop, taking Peter and Fabian with him. At the sight of him disappearing, Carrie's sense of hope disappeared too.

Sirius looked up at the house, eyes coming to rest upon the crazed Death Eater who had attacked him, and to Carrie's shock he had the audacity to wave.

"Alright there cousin?" he shouted, causing Bellatrix's eyes to narrow to furious slits. "Not the best shot ever, are you?"

"For the love of Merlin Padfoot...!" James muttered, and before he could finish a continuous burst of spells began to rain down upon the group, eliciting a shriek of terror from Carrie, who instantly felt herself go rigid with fear.

James and Sirius managed to deflect a few of spells as Remus scrambled to his feet. Snatching his wand out from his pocket, the werewolf fired a quick succession of spells back at Voldemort's Number One follower, only to have them rebound back at him, forcing him to dive sideways to avoid getting hit.

"Run!" James shouted as a couple of other Death Eaters rounded the side of the cottage, ready to add their spells to the mix. And with that, Carrie felt Sirius' hand reach to grab hold of her elbow and she felt the abrupt pulling sensationof apparation.

They apparated into the middle of the road where just a short while earlier Teddy and Carrie had come into contact with Moody. The grizzled Auror was nowhere to be seen, indeed the area had become disturbingly empty. A series of loud crashes indicated that the primary battle was now taking place inside one of the cottages, but Carrie had little chance to glance in it's direction for she instantly found herself and Teddy being shunted back a few steps until they were stood just behind Sirius. The three Marauders formed a ring around the two time travelers, their eyes darting keenly around, wands raised ready...

"They're dead keen on us today." Sirius commented casually, as if they were speaking of a group of girls at a party.

"They're dead keen on Remus." James muttered. "Your darling cousin has been chasing him all over the place."

"Maybe she fancies you, Moony mate." Sirius suggested thoughtfully, and as he eyed the doorway of his house opposite them, Remus muttered:

"Shut up Padfoot."

"I'm just saying, Prongs is right, she wants to get you something rotten!"

"Yes, well," Remus mumbled, gaze darting towards the side of the house. "This isn't some random Death Eath Eater attack...I didn't have time to explain..."

"Go on, then." Sirius suggested, and Remus chanced a sideways glance at him, frowning deeply.

"You think I have time now?"

"Well...no, but..." Sirius offered the werewolf a brief raised eyebrow.

"Voldemort wants to get hold of that nutcase Anya and I ran into that day in the woods." Remus murmured hurriedly, pausing when James made a sudden movement at a creaking noise coming from one of the houses. After a moment, once no Death Eater appeared, the werewolf went on. "She's not a Death Eater, so Voldemort is curious about her...and she came looking for me so...so he's curious about me too..."

"Merlin..." James muttered darkly. "How did you figure that out?"

There was a distinctly reluctant silence before Remus admitted:

"Anya. She's...a Death Eater..."

Sirius' concentration was instantly shattered, he turned to stare at Remus with wide eyes.

"YOU SHAGGED A DEATH EATER?"

"I didn't bloody shag her!" Remus protested, turning to offer Sirius a revolted look. "I've told you a million times..."

"It's alright, Moony! Lily isn't here, so you don't have to pretend..."

"I DIDN'T BLOODY SHAG HER!"

"Well if that wasn't what you were doing that time in the woods...what the bloody hell WERE the two of you doing? I swear, I could hear funny noi..."

"FOR THE LOVE OF MERLIN SHUT UP!" James demanded. "We're in the middle of something here!"

And as abruptly as the distraction had started, it ended. Sirius and Remus exchanged one last scowl before turning their attention back to the matter at hand.

Seemingly this was just in time because there came the sudden there came a series of loud pops and Carrie failed to suppress a gasp of terror at the sight of five Death Eaters apparating in front of them, their wands all raised.

"Shit..." Sirius muttered.

As she watched Bellatrix Lestrange advance upon them, her steps mockingly slow and exaggerated, Carrie wondered where the other Order members had gotten to. She dared not glance over towards the commotion inside the cottage, all she could do was hope with all her might that help would emerge from the front door.

Now.

Right now.

But as Bellarix advanced, dark eyes glinting menacingly, nobody appeared.

It was just the three Marauders. Just three teenaged boys standing between Carrie and...and she didn't want to imagine what...

The muggle reached to grasp Teddy by the hand as she stared at Bellatrix, heart hammering faster and faster with each of the Death Eater's steps.

It was funny, the muggle found herself musing despite her terror, what came to mind when one looked into the eyes of the person who was no doubt about to kill you.

If one were to look past the wild, unhinged glint, those eyes could have been Dora's. It was a startling and deeply disturbing observation. Carrie wondered if, should she by some miracle make it out of this situation alive, Dora might consent to morphing the similarity away...

And then Bellatrix came to a sudden halt.

She smiled. A twisted, stretched expression upon her pale, pointed face, and Carrie found herself hunching her shoulders.

"We've just popped over to collect young Remus here." the Death Eater announced, voice dripping with false sweetness that made Carrie's stomach clench uncomfortably.

James offered the lunatic an apologetic smile.

"Well I'm afraid you can't have him." the Marauder announced, wand trained carefully upon the Death Eater's face.

"Yours, is he?" Bellatrix asked, thin nose wrinkling in disgust. "Popular pets aren't they? Dogs..."

BANG!

A jet of red light erupted out of the end of Sirius' wand, and instantly the air became a mass of spells whizzing back and forth. As she watched James deflect a stunning spell hurled at him by one of the hooded figures, Carrie felt Teddy dragging her backwards, and the two of them immediately turned and fled towards the cover of the ramshackle wall. Vaulting over it, the two time travelers concealed themselves behind it, and there they watched in agonizing fear as Remus, James and Sirius fought a dizzingly fast battle against the five Death Eaters.

When Sirius managed to strike one Death Eater with a stunning spell, sending the hooded man flying off his feet and into a nearby garden wall, Carrie felt a sudden urge to cheer out loud.

Maybe, just maybe, three teenaged boys could do it...

Maybe they weren't all going to die after all...

But then Bellatrix's latest curse struck Sirius square in the chest, and he collapsed, stiff as a board with a yelp of pain.

And just a short while after, James was hit by a rebounding stunning spell, and quite suddenly Carrie didn't feel hopeful.

Not hopeful at all...

The muggle watched in horror as Remus began to stumble back, the sheer number of spells being directed at him becoming almost too much to bear. Alone, he found himself with little to do besides attempt in vain to shield himself from the attacks, and as his attempts grew more and more desperate, Carrie found her view of his struggle blurred by warm tears prickling at her eyes.

"Teddy...!" she whimpered, breath suddenly reduced to a horrified sob as at last one of the Death Eaters' spells got past the werewolf's defenses, knocking his off his feet and causing him to drop his wand.

"Come on Dad!" Teddy whispered miserably as Remus hastily rolled onto his side, desperately reaching for his discarded wand, only for a second spell to strike him in the side, leaving him to fall flat upon his face with a groan...

"STUPEFY!" A familiar voice bellowed from the nearby trees, and at the sound of it Bellatrix spun around just in time to see an enormous jet of red light streak across the road.

Carrie watched in amazement as it struck one Death Eater square in the face, launching her backwards and into a second, they both crashed to the floor with a shout.

CRACK!

And as Bellatrix spun back around at the sound of somebody apparating, she and the remaining Death Eater found themselves confronted by a new enemy.

Carrie had to clamp a hand over her mouth to stop herself from giving a relieved shout.

And so it was that Dora Lupin planted herself between the Death Eaters and her husband's younger self, her wand pointing steadily at her aunt's chest.

"You!" Bellatrix hissed, eyes widening in glee at the sight of the very person that she had been sent to seek out.

Carrie wondered if Dora felt at all unnerved by Bellatrix's apparent recognition of her, but the Auror merely planted her feet more firmly upon the ground and agreed:

"Yes. Me."

"This is terribly convinient." the Death Eater grinned as her remaining companion stepped up beside her. "The Dark Lord shall be very pleased indeed..."

Dora raised an eyebrow.

"Oh I seriously doubt that." she said, and no sooner had the sentence left her lips, she gave her wand a deft flick and sent a stunning spell whizzing through the air towards the Death Eaters. As a furious duel ensued, Carrie dared a glance at Remus, who had paused in his struggle to regain his wand to stare at Dora in a mixture of relief and bemusement...

Only for a sudden rustling noise to draw the werewolf's attention and as he struggled to turn and look over his shoulder towards the trees beside his house.

Carrie followed his gaze, and gasped at the sight that met her eyes.

Anya had come round from Remus' stunning spell. She was stumbling forward onto the road, her steps slow and shaky, face red and damp with tears. As Carrie reached to tap Teddy urgently upon the shoulder, drawing the boy's attention away from his mother's determined struggle, the young Death Eater came to a sudden halt as she laid eyes upon the scene before her.

"What's she doing?" Carrie hissed worriedly as she and Teddy watched Anya's eyes come to rest upon Remus, who was staring straight back at her.

"I...I don't know..." Teddy muttered as the Death Eater began to stumble forward once again.

Carrie glanced back at Dora, and was just considering whether or not to shout some sort of warning to her that she was being flanked, when Bellatrix suddenly let out a triumphant shriek...

As she watched the wand fly from Dora's hand in a flash of white light, Carrie felt as if she had just been kicked in the stomach.

"NO!" the muggle shrieked before she could help herself, and Teddy jumped to his feet, eyes wide in terror as he shouted:

"MUM!"

Dora's wand clattered to the floor some short distance away, and for the briefest of moments all eyes were upon it.

And suddenly, everything happened at once.

Dora made a desperate run for her wand, hand outstretched determinedly as Bellatrix took fresh aim.

And just as Dora broke into a sprint, Anya began to run towards the wand too...

"Oh Merlin!" Carrie cried as she watched the Death Eater get closer and closer to the fallen object, and Teddy reached to clamp a horrified hand over his mouth.

Anya's pace was slower than Dora's, stumbling and clumsy, and yet she was closer...much closer...

She's going to take Dora's wand! She's actually going to take Dora's wand...

Dora was going to be defenseless...

She'd die, Carrie was sure...

Carrie was utterly stunned and horrified. Despite everything that Anya had don, the muggle had never really felt that she entirely deserved the way that Remus had treated her. After all she wasn't evil, she wasn't another Bellatrix, she was just frightened...

Or so Carrie had thought.

How could she have been so very, very wrong? How could she not have known? She ought know evil when she saw it...

Because Anya was evil, and Dora...any second now there would be a big flash of green light and BAM! Life would never be the same again, it was inconceivable what it would be like. The situation was ruined, hopeless, utterly dismal and as the seconds ticked on it got closer and closer...

Anya had reached Dora's wand...

But she kept on running.

"What the..." Carrie breathed, as Teddy's held breath wavered somewhat uncertainly.

"AVADA KEDAVRA!" Bellatrix screeched, and Dora's pace slowed suddenly as she turned to watch the Killing Curse speeding towards her. There was a horrible sense of resignation in that small turn of the head, and it shook Carrie to the very core.

"NO!" the muggle shrieked again, reaching to grab fistfuls of hair in horror, and she was about to screw her eyes shut against the sign of Dora's demise when something unexpected happened.

Anya threw herself forward towards the doomed Auror...

Straight into the path of the Killng Curse.

The young Death Eater's body gave a sickening jolt as the life was blasted from her body in a flash of green light. As she fell to the ground, utterly lifeless, both Bellatrix and Dora paused to stare in surprise...

It was at that very moment that Remus finally snatched up his wand.

"STUPEFY!" he croaked, and Bellatrix caught sight of the spell just in time to disapparate with a pop, her shriek of frustration ringing in Carrie's ears. The stunning spell struck the remaining Death Eater in the shoulder, sending him spinning sideways until he tripped and tumbled to the ground.

Silence descended around them and as she stared in shock at Anya's lifeless form at Dora's feet, Carrie wondered when the rest of the fighting had stopped, or indeed where the victors, whoever they were, had gotten to.

"Mum!" Teddy cried, and he was about to vault over the wall and run to her when Dora hastily held up a hand.

"Don't move!" the Auror demanded, much to Carrie's surprise. "It isn't safe yet!"

Carrie felt somewhat awed at Dora's ability to remain in even a remotely clear state of mind. The muggle's own head was buzzing with questions and confusion and...

"You're his...his MOTHER...?" Remus attempted to clarify as he stared up at his future wife in complete and utter incomprehension.

Dora gave a stiff chuckle.

"Nah, of course I'm not." she muttered as she went to stoop and retrieve her wand, and without warning she rounded on the werewolf, wand raised and declared: "Obliviate!"

Carrie watched somewhat numbly as Remus slumped back upon the grass, apparently out cold.

"Is...is he supposed to do that?" the muggle wondered aloud, but at that very moment Dora spun around to face the cottage where the Order and Death Eaters had just recently stopped their fighting.

The door to the cottage was thrown back on it's hinges and Carrie found herself holding her breath anxiously to see who would emerge...

The remaining members of the Order of the Phoenix filed out of the door, all eying their surroundings searchingly before coming to an abrupt halt. At the front of the group, Moody eyed Dora suspiciously with both normal and magical eyes.

"Who've we got here, then?" he demanded to know, his wand pointing threateningly at the metamorphmagus' face.

"Alright, Mad-Eye?" Dora greeted, seemingly forgetting herself for a second, and Moody was about to make some sort of retort when a voice shrieked:

"JAMES!"

Despite Moody's demand that she stay where she was, Lily pushed her way to the front of the group and ran to drop down beside her boyfriend, eyes wide in panic.

"Is he okay?" she cried, looking up at Dora for some sort of confirmation, much to Moody's fury.

"He was like that when I got here." Dora admitted, "But I think he's just been stunned or some..." she was cut off by the wand being yanked from her hand, soaring over until it landed at Moody's feet. Lily immediately glanced around at the old Auror to protest:

"It's alright, she's with us!"

"Is she now?" Moody grunted disbelievingly, magical eye swiveling in it's socket.

"Of course I am," Dora agreed briskly, turning to beckon to Carrie and Teddy with a wave of her hand. "Keep up, Mad-Eye..."

"Who ARE you?" Frank Longbottom asked from just behind Moody, and as she climbed over the wall, Carrie couldn't help but think he sounded disgruntled.

"Who am I? Well...that's a bit tricky to be honest..." Dora began uncertainly, and Moody raised his wand again.

"Sounds like Death Eater nonsense to me!" he accused, only for Lily to cry:

"She's Remus' wife!"

The Order members exchanged a series of bemused glances, except for Moody who did no so much as blink.

"Bit bloody old isn't she?" he muttered, and Dora paused in her disapproving look at Lily to smile and muse:

"Well it makes a change for somebody to say that..."

"Well obviously they aren't married NOW!" Lily went on, one hand reaching to smooth James' hair absentmindedly. "She's going to marry him! When he's thirty eight..."

"Thirty seven." Dora corrected automatically, though her expression was becoming increasingly disapproving by the second.

"By which time she'll be what? Seventy odd...?"

"THEY'RE TIME TRAVELERS!" Lily exclaimed in frustration, pointing at the trio as Carrie and Teddy came to a halt at Dora's side. "That...that boy...THAT'S REMUS' SON!"

Dora gave a resigned sigh and reached into her pocket to retrieve the time turner. There was a long moment as the Order members stared at both the spindly object and the trio before Moody observed:

"Got guts then, have you? Marrying a werewolf. BACKBONE! We could use somebody like you with the Aurors, you know..."

"You will do." Dora told him, apparently distracted from her annoyance again as she reached to retrieve her Auror identification to wave around for them to see.

"You meet three people from the future and all you can say is...is THAT?" Alice Longbotton said, turning to stare at Moody with disbelieving eyes. "You're OBSESSED, Alastor!"

As Moody grunted irritably, Lily got to her feet, expression apologetic.

"I'm sorry Dora," she said, expression somewhat nervous. "It's just...well...escaping Frank and Alice is one thing...but...escaping all of us...! And it'll be fine, we'll let you Obliviate us..."

"What?" Moody barked, face contorting at the very idea, only for the witch behind him to reason:

"It'll be for the best, Alastor, we can't possible know something like this..."

"You can trust me." Dora agreed, grinning broadly. "I had a very good teacher...you might have heard of him actually...goes by the name of Alastor Moody..."

"You're one of my students?"

"Of course. Where else do you think I learned to be so insolent?"

As the Order began to murmur to one another, Dora finally glanced around at Carrie and Teddy, just in time for her son to reach to throw his arms around her.

"Mum! You...you were going to...to..."

"S'alright, Teddy love. It's all over now." Dora murmured, and she turned to look down at Anya's body with a deeply saddened look. "Poor girl..." the Auror whispered.

Carrie shuffled forward, relief finally beginning to sink in as she reachd to throw her arms around both Lupins, burying her face in Dora's shoulder.

Teddy was right, to think that Dora had come so close to...

No. She simply couldn't think of it...

There they stood for what seemed like forever, and before long the Order dispersed and set about gathering up the wounded, and Carrie was relieved to hear Frank announce that as far as they could tell, no Order members had died.

Carrie couldn't seem to help but glance over at Anya every so often, and each time the sight of the girl's deathly pale face made the muggle shudder and bury her face deeper into Dora's robes.

"D...Dora?" the muggle whispered after her third glance, and she felt tears seeping from her eyes as Dora reached to smooth the girl's disheveled hair.

"What is it, Carrie love?"

"Why...why d'you think she...why would she have done...what she did?"

Dora was thoughtful for a long moment, watching as Frank and Alice set about lifting the three Marauders up onto conjured stretchers.

"Love, perhaps." the Auror mused sadly, eyes drifting closed with a sigh. "For Remus. I was the only thing standing between him and Bellatrix...perhaps that made me worth saving."

Carrie dared another watery glance at the Death Eater's body. The still face looked...peaceful...

"I think she felt guilty." Teddy murmured into his mother's shoulder. "I think she was ashamed. Dad was ashamed of her, she was ashamed of herself...I think she wanted to...feel better."

"Poor girl..." Dora mumbled again, and though she wasn't entirely sure why, Carrie could not help but burst into tears.

Come the time for the Order members to line up, ready for (in all cases beside Moody's) voluntary Obliviation, Carrie had cried her eyes dry, and she and Teddy went to sit upon the ramshackle wall, their backs to the proceedings for the whole process gave the muggle the creeps.

"Well..." Teddy observed slowly as he stared up at the sky. "This is it."

"Mm..." Carrie mumbled, sighing heavily and leaning until she could rest her head upon his shoulder. "This is it."

"We're going home."

"Yes..." Carrie pursed her lips together for a moment before admitting: "I won't miss it."

"Me neither." Teddy agreed.

There were no fond farewells when Dora finally came to loop the long chain of the time turner around their necks, for the Order members were in a state of confused disarray. It was probably best, Dora had explained, that they just slip away nice and quietly...

It didn't feel like home until they had apparated back to the Lupins' house, and even as she was settling down at the kitchen table, watching Dora stick the kettle on with an exclamation of _I think we all deserve a cup of tea_, Carrie couldn't help but feel that it was all a bit of an anti-climax.  
Quite frankly the normality was unnerving...

Until the muggle realised that really, it wasn't all that normal. Because Teddy didn't usually stare off into space with such a blank expression upon his face, and Dora's hands did not usually tremble as she added boiling water into the teapot...

"I think," Dora mused as she shuffled over to the fridge to retrieve the milk, "that this is the time that I launch into a big long angry lecture about how reckless and stupid the pair of you have been." she cast a rather grim glance over her shoulder at the two silent teenagers before adding solemnly: "But then again some things just speak for themselves."

And at that moment, Carrie felt more ashamed and foolish of the mess that she had gotten into than any length of angry speech could have possibly have ever made her feel.

Never again, she told herself firmly. Never again would she be so silly, so foolish...

And this wasn't like all the other times when she'd told herself to grow up. This was the last time. There wouldn't ever need to be another. Never. Ever.

It was frustrating and troubling to think that she could be wrong, like last time and the time before, but Carrie Winters was going to try her best to ignore this fact. She would do it this time, she'd grow up. After all, she'd been through more than enough now to warrant full blown maturity.

And in that respect, Carrie was glad that she had gone back in time, that she had met people who had helped shape her view on life.

At that precise moment there came the sound of a lock clicking, and Carrie, Teddy and Dora all looked round, down the hallway to see the front door opening.

At the sight of her husband stepping carefully over the threshold, reaching to push the door shut behind him as he wiped his shoes upon the doormat, Dora instantly abandoned her tea making and practically bolted down the hallway.

"Remus!"

As his wife flung her arms around his neck with such force that he stumbled back into the door, narrowly avoiding cracking his head, Remus frowned deeply.

"Hi...?" he mumbled uncertainly, gingerly consenting to putting his arms around her, only for the witch to complain:

"I...I almost lost you!"

Carrie pursed her lips tightly together in an odd mixture of amusement and shame as she watched the werewolf's grip upon the witch tighten and he leant to press a kiss atop her head.

"What in Merlin's name are you talking about?" the muggle heard him murmur. "I DID say I was coming home, didn't I? You didn't honestly think I was going to..._leave_?"

He looked more confused than ever when Dora merely let out a relieved squeak and, reaching to cup his face in her hands so that she could stare up at him, victorious before muttering:

"Oh shut up!" And with that, she rose up upon her tiptoes to kiss him so enthusiastically that he at last lost his battle with the door, hitting his head with an audible crack.

Yes, Carrie thought as she and Teddy both sniggered, as foolish as it had been, travelling back in time had been above all an education. Indeed, she would forever value those summer days in 1979 when she and Teddy had met the Marauders.

**Finish.**

_Note: I will be posting the first chapter of the next story, Meet the Order of the Phoenix, directly after this one! I hope that you have all enjoyed this story as much as I have enjoyed writing it! Thank you so much to those of you who have left such encouraging reviews and spurred me on to update on a regular basis! Your kind comments really do make me smile! It would be wonderful to hear from you all again now, tell me which characters you like best, what scenes etc! I'll do my best to incoperate more of your favourite things into the next story too!_

_Once again, thank you for reading! _


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